Gender Roles In Sports

687 Words2 Pages

Yoga is more than a sport, is a discipline, a philosophy and a state of living. Yoga has its origins in ancient India, nevertheless it became popular around the 80's in the western world and is gaining more followers with time. However, despite yoga is known for its effectiveness in stress reduction, relaxation and bringing peace of mind, is usually more practiced by women than by men. This particularity is what leads to the purpose of this investigation. This essay will analyze the social construction of sports, how this construction has developed gender-typed sports, and will introduce us on the examination of the several impacts and effects that these gender roles have in the involvement of men in sports and its probable influence on the …show more content…

The UQ Yoga and Meditation Club (UQYMC) is a community of people that practices yoga and well-being, they believe in diversity and therefore welcome people from all backgrounds, religions, and cultures. The club is very organized and has a very structured executive team, it offers three classes of yoga weekly plus a couple of meditation sessions, as well as a variety of free social events for members such as movie nights, picnics and dinners.

The ethnographic project will be conducted with the UQYMC. The research questions and sub-questions that will help on the explanation of the research purpose are as follows:

1. What are the characteristics of the participants of the UQYMC?
1.1 What are the gender proportions and characteristics of the people that participate in the UQYMC?
1.2 What are the male participant's feelings and values for taking part in the UQYMC?

2. What is the cultural history of the UQYMC and how is this understood by participants?
2.1 What are the gender characteristics people typically associate with yoga?
2.2 Does yoga valued in the social culture?
2.3 Are there any hidden social/cultural consequences or effects for men who practice …show more content…

They are defined as a physical activity of individuals within a set of standardized rules. An activity that interests people of all ages, religions, genders and ethnicities (Tuyckom, Scheerder & Bracke, 2010). The participation in regular sports activities have been highly encouraged for their health benefits, however, the involvement of an individual in a sports activity is influenced by several factors such as age restraints, gender norms, cultural and social orientations towards sports, among others (Tuyckom et al., 2010; Wiley, Shaw & Havitz, 2000). Sports then, is a complex concept, one that can be analyzed in different aspects and that can take the form of different social and political agendas.

Historically sports were created around the world as a men activity. Sports possess features that are seen as reinforcements of masculinity such as determination, hostility, hardness and competitiveness. Sports are recognized as a learned attitude and is it constructed through social interaction (Wiley, Shaw & Havitz, 2000). Nowadays, sports are still considered as male dominant and media has reinforced the image of sports and men featuring characteristics such as strength, size, power, and superiority of men over women (Aitchison, 2007; Symons & Hemphill,

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