No More a Stepchild of Feminism: Gender Issues Mainstreaming in Sport Sociology

Abstract

Sport is considered to be a site of male hegemony and domination. It was used to consolidate and maintain the male-dominated gender ideology in sports field. However, gender issues have not been widely studied by sport sociology scholars and feminists. Once it was viewed as a stepchild of feminism. The purpose of this study was to debunk the gender ideology embedded in the sport and marginalization of gender issue studies. Methodologically, this study employed discourse analysis to critique and examine the contexts of sport and gender in the western history. The results indicated that sport is a site preserved mainly for male and its linkage with masculinity makes women being ＂others＂ in the field of sport. The study concluded that women were struggling in a dilemma between empowerment and being objectified. Moreover, the gender issue studies had long been overlooked. This study suggests that Taiwanese sport sociology scholars should pay more attention on the historical contexts of sport and gender studies, and need to move towards gender issue mainstreaming in sport sociology.