Abstract
Although women and girls are participating in athletics at
record numbers as a result of the Title IX ban on sex
discrimination, female athletes experience daily struggles both on
and off the court (Cahn 1994; Dworkin and Messner 1999). The
institution of sports is dominated by hegemonic masculinity, which
is the ideal type of dominant and powerful masculinity (Connell
1987; Messner 1992). In the context of female sports, female
athletes must manage a type of hegemonic femininity. Hegemonic
femininity is necessitated by societal definitions of femininity,
rather than by the strength and aggressiveness required for sport
performance (Lenskyj 1994; Krane 1999; Choi 2000). Female athletes
live in a paradoxical world where femininity is embraced, but where
muscularity is required (Krane et al. 2004). In navigating this
paradox, female athletes must utilize different strategies to
manage their own femininity in accordance with their muscularity.
This research study focuses on female athletes at an NCAA Division
III university in the South. Through semi-structured in-depth
interviews, I explore female athletes' experiences with negotiating
their femininity with respect to their muscularity. I ask how
female athletes manage and negotiate their femininity and
muscularity and how the lesbian stereotype affects their daily
lives. The research builds on existing literature in sociology of
sport, as well as feminist perspectives of the institution of
sport. Findings from this study illustrate that the issue of
contradictory body types for female athletes results in two general
types of negotiation. First, female athletes must deal with
consequences of having a musculature athletic body in light of the
societal expectations for femininity. Athletes have different
experiences with their muscularity and engage in several strategies
to manage the paradoxical nature of their bodies. Although all
athletes must deal with this body type paradox, those who play
gender-inappropriate sports (i.e. softball, basketball) are prone
to labels and stereotypes of lesbianism. Thus, they have a second
set of negotiation strategies in which they must engage.
Table of Contents
Introduction...1
Theoretical Background...3
Empirical Background...11
Research Questions...19
Methodology...20
Results...24
Discussion...44
References...52
Appendices...56
About this Honors Thesis
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