Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR)

 

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

August 2005

Citation

Journal of Sport and Social Issues (August 2005) 29(3): 313–337

doi: 10.1177/0193723504272659

Comments

Copyright © 2005, Sage; published on behalf of Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society. Used by permission

Abstract

Golf does not inherently privilege men or women physically, yet men are much more likely to participate in golf. The authors explore the institutional (e.g., societal level) and interactional barriers to women’s golf participation and uncover strategies women use to negotiate playing and persisting in golf. Guided by research on tokenism in occupations, statistical discrimination, and feminist research in the sociology of sport, the authors use 10 interviews with recreational women golfers to explore these issues. Similar to women in predominantly male occupations, the women in this study report heightened visibility and experiences with typecasting on the golf course. In addition, social closure operates in the form of unwelcoming courses; women reported feeling ignored, overlooked, or unimportant on the course. The authors discuss several strategies the women in the sample use to overcome sexism and persist in golf.

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