Gender and sport

Abstract

This dissertation is a study on female Taekwondo and football athletes in Hong Kong. Building on the theoretical framework of sport socialization and gender identity construction, the present study aims to understand how these players learn and conform to the norms of their sports in the process. Moreover, it explores how gender culture is perceived and constructed in view of female athletes. The data was collected from two focus group discussions with four female Taekwondo athletes and three female football athletes respectively. The research findings show that parental support and availability of sport trainings are two primary factors determining the female athletes’ entry into sport. The athletes learn from their coaches and teammates to normalize pain and injury and play down their feminine traits in their sport performance. Masculine traits, availability of opportunity, social values and gender relations within sports interplay with each other to shape the image of Taekwondo and football. Finally, this study has shown that gender culture is a complex concept constantly shaped by perceptions and interpretations on the culture of sports in Hong Kong.