A red card for women: Female officials ostracized in South Korean football

Abstract

Referees play an essential role in most sports, but only a few studies have investigated the experiences of female sports officials. This study aims to identify the reasons why women tend to give up the work of refereeing. Six former female referees were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. The findings show that female officials tend to give up their jobs in Korean football due to the negative attitudes held about them, as reflected in remarks and other behavior; the absence of a peer group or a mentoring system for female referees; work–family conflict, in particular following pregnancy and childcare; and a lack of administrative support. Since both the equality and gynocentric feminist theories are applicable in the context of Korean football, effective management strategies are required in order to empower female referees and enhance their capacities to tackle traditional gender inequalities.

Abstract in Korean

스포츠에서 심판은 중요한 역할을 담당하는 존재이다. 하지만 심판 중에서도 특히 여성 심판을 대상으로 그들의 경험을 탐색한 연구는 찾기 힘든 실정이다. 본 연구의 목적은 국내 여성 축구 심판들이 심판활동을 중단하는 이유를 규명하는데 있다. 여섯 명의 전 축구 심판을 대상으로 반 구조화된 인터뷰를 진행하였다. 연구 결과 여성 심판들은 축구 관계자들의 말과 행동에서 표출되는 부정적인 태도, 여성 심판들을 위한 동료 그룹 및 멘토링 시스템의 부재, 출산과 양육을 포함한 가정생활과 심판활동 간의 갈등, 행정적 지원 부족 등의 이유로 심판 활동을 포기한 것으로 나타났다. 평등, 여성 중심의 페미니스트 이론을 한국 축구 맥락에 적용한다면 여성 심판들의 임파워먼트를 극대화하고 전통적인 성불평등적 요소를 줄이면서 여성 심판들의 역량을 강화할 수 있는 효과적인 경영 전략이 요구된다고 하겠다.

Keywords:

• female referees
• football
• retention
• sexism
• feminism
• management

Keywords:

• 여성심판
• 축구
• 지속
• 성차별주의
• 페미니즘
• 경영

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Incheon National University Research Grant [20130717].

Notes on contributors

KIM Min-Chul, the first author, is professor in the Division of Sport Science at Incheon National University. His research interests include sociological interpretation of modern sports and sports policy analysis. Email: [email protected]

HONG Eunah is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Studies at Ewha Womans University. Her research interests include women’s leadership in sport organizations and policies regarding the retention of match officials.

Notes

1 Various terms, such as referee, match official, judge, and umpire are often used, depending on the sport. In this article, referee and match official will be used interchangeably throughout.

2 County FA is a local governing body of football in Korea and there are 17 county FAs as of February 2016.