The Routledge Handbook of Gender Politics in Sport and Physical Activity

This progressive and broad-ranging handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the complex intersections between politics, gender, sport and physical activity, shining new light on the significance of gender, sport and physical activity in wider society. Featuring contributions from leading and emerging researchers from around the world, the book makes the case that gender studies and critical thinking around gender are of particular importance in an era of increasingly intolerant populist politics. It examines important long-term as well as emerging themes, such as recent generational shifts in attitudes to gender identity in sport and the socio-cultural expectations on men and women that have traditionally influenced and often disrupted their engagement with sport and physical activity, and explores a wide range of current issues in contemporary sport, from debates around the contested gender binary and sex verification, to the role of the media and social media, and the significance of gender in sport leadership, policy and decision-making. This book is an authoritative survey of the current state of play in research connecting gender, sport, physical activity and politics, and is an important contribution to both sport studies and gender studies. It is fascinating reading for any student, researcher, policy-maker or professional with an interest in sport, physical activity, social studies, public health or political science.

Gyozo Molnár is Professor of Sociology of Sport and Exercise at the University of Worcester, UK. Rachael Bullingham is Senior Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, UK.

1. Connecting Gender, Politics, Sport and Physical Activity: An Introduction, Part I: Gendered History, 2. Gender Equality, Sport Media and the Olympics, 1984-2018: An Overview, 3. Sex Verification and Protected Categories in Sport: Binary or Bust?, 4. The Politics of Positions of Sport Leadership: The Subtexts of Women's Exclusion, 5. Gendered Transformations: Conflict and Resistance in the Regulation of Female Athlete Eligibility in International Sport, 6. Analysis of Government Policy Relating to Women's Sport, 7. Gender and Strength: Representation in Strength and Conditioning, Part II: Gender Binary Troubles, 8. Patriarchy and its Discontents, 9. Atrophying Masculinity within Professional Road Cycling: Contesting 'the male' through a (Re)scripting of the Anti-Male, 10. Rainbow Dancing and the Challenge of Transgender Inclusion in Finland, 11. The Politics of Minority Ethnic Women's Leisure Time and Physical Activity in Denmark, 12. Patriarchal Politics of Women Footballers in Australia: Changing the Narrative from Welfare to Women Saving Men's Football, 13. A Gendered Focused Review of Sports Diplomacy, 14. Gender Politics in British University Sport: Exploring Contemporary Perceptions of Femininity and Masculinity, 15. The Gender Politics of Sex Integrated Sport: The Case of Professional Golf, 16. Reclaiming Women's Voice in Masculine Competitive Sports Cultures: Playing to Win?, 17. Towards Equality in Women's Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity: Complexities and Contradictions, Part III: Intersecting Gender, 18. Postcoloniality, Gender and Sport: A Snapshot of the Literature and Insights from Fiji, 19. From Disability to "Adaptivity": Bethany Hamilton in Sean McNamara's Soul Surfer (2011), 20. Women's Parasport Experiences of Sacrifice, Conflict, and Control: Always Tilting, 21. Muslim Women and Sport: Obstacles and Perspectives in Socio-Political Contexts, 22. The Politics of Passing for Trans and Non-Binary People in Physical Activity in the UK: "Yeah, Congratulations! You Look like a Cis Person, Well Done!", Part IV: Gender, Politics, Sport and Physical Activity Case Studies, 23. Gender Politics of Social Media: A Case Study of Megan Rapinoe, 24. Gender and the Politics of Patriarchy in Zimbabwean Football Administration, 25. Women in Golf: Policy and Progress, 26. Narratives of Women Surfers: Rethinking Pre-constructed Gender Bias, 27. Fitness Practitioners' Overcoming of Self-objectification: The Problem with 'Legs, Bums and Tums', 28. Sex Integration and the Potential of Track-and-Field: A New Norm, 29. Gender Justice and Women's Football: A Macro and Micro Analysis of the Game in England, 30. Gender Participation in Decision Making Positions of Sport Federations, 31. Mamanet: Empowering Mothers towards Sport, 32. A Strategy to Promote Gender Equality: The Number and Status of Women in Leadership and Decision-making Positions in Finnish Sport