Exploring the PE contexts and experiences of girls who challenge gender norms in a progressive secondary school

ABSTRACT

The relationship between masculinity and sports that is naturalised and reproduced in PE settings has been well-documented, highlighting contexts that privilege certain boys, limit girls and where many teachers view girls as a problem to be fixed. However, social norms regarding what constitutes feminism, gender and sexism are changing, which may impact the experiences of girls in PE. Drawing on data from an ethnographic case study, this paper explores the experiences in PE of girls who resist traditional feminine identities within a progressive school context. In doing so, we aim to understand how this shift in social norms relating to their gendered identities is played out in context. Guided by Foucault's work around the disciplining nature of power, our analysis revealed several interrelated discursive and structural barriers that limited these girls’ learning and opportunities in PE, a surprising finding given the progressive ethos claimed by the school. We conclude by suggesting changes that might make PE truly ‘progressive’ for all students.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• physical education
• social power
• resistance
• equality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr. Jennifer Suzanne Roberts is a researcher in the politics of gender and power. Her research focuses on how gender becomes a biased sorting category in educational environments to define and regulate young peoples’ behaviors and identity development. Her current research explores the influence of teachers’ unconscious gender bias on the construction of social hierarchies that influence positions of power and success in the classroom.

Dr. Shirley Gray is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education in Moray House School of Education and Sport, the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Her research interests include gender issues in physical education, social and emotional learning and the Health and Wellbeing curriculum in the Scottish context.

Dr. Maria José Camacho Miñano is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education at the Faculty of Education, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain. Her research investigates Physical Education, Sport and physical activity using a gender approach, both in young people and in teachers. Her current research interests are focused on the relationship between digital technologies and health promotion from a critical and feminist perspective.

ORCID

Shirley Gray http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7742-2629

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.