WALKING THE TIGHTROPES: NAVIGATING ACCEPTABLE FEMININITY IN MEN’S PROFESSIONAL SPORTS WORKPLACES
Datum
2022
Autor:innen
Willhoite, Megan
Zeitschriftentitel
ISSN der Zeitschrift
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Verlag
University of Oregon
Zusammenfassung
Recent reports of toxic workplace environments regarding the treatment of non-player personnel in professional sports organizations like the NBA and NFL have highlighted just how little is known about this unique work environment. Previous research in the sociology of sport, organizational sociology, and gender studies suggests a strong relationship between masculine values of aggression and competition within sports cultures and workplace cultures. However, there is very little research on how gender affects the experiences of working women in professional sports organizations. This project aims to explore how these women’s femininity is challenged and reinforced via their experience of their sports-centered occupations. The study consisted of interviewing eight self-selected women who work in non-player personnel roles in minor league baseball organizations, who each shared their experiences from current and past positions in professional sports. The findings suggest that women are constantly navigating boundaries of acceptable behavior regarding their confidence, their appearance, and their parental status in ways that are in line with other industries but contextualized uniquely by the sports environment. This ultimately provides crucial context for understanding what working in professional sports is like for women, the gendered challenges they experience, and what types of experiences may be contributing to an increased number of reports about poor sports workplace environments.
Beschreibung
Schlagwörter
professional sports, sociology, work, gender, femininity