Empowerment and resistance through rugby among women in Colombia

Participation in LTPA and recreational sports provides women opportunities for challenging heteronormative gender related constraints (Liechty et al., 2016; Shaw, 1994). Women who take part in full contact sports experience a sense of empowerment and belonging within the athletic environment (Liechty et al., 2016). While some of the existing research has focused on the participation of women in recreational rugby, gender roles and embodied empowerment (Hardy, 2015; Liechty et al., 2016), an examination of the lived experiences and participation in rugby among women in Colombia is missing. Oxford and Spaaij (2019) revealed that efforts to promote inclusion in sports by Colombian NGOs have led to increased participation of young women in sports. Yet, the authors’ investigation also revealed that despite young Colombian women challenging heteronormative gender roles and expectations, parents, religion, and patriarchy continue to “maintain and shape heteronormative gender roles” in this country (p. 69). This dissertation aims to examine the experiences of women in Colombia who participate in recreational rugby by utilizing a decolonial feminist theory approach (Scraton & Flintoff, 2002). The objectives of the study are to examine (1) how gender roles affect participation in rugby among women in Colombia; (2) how women in Colombia negotiate constraints related to gender roles that affect their participation in rugby; (3) if and how participation in rugby leads to empowerment among women in Colombia. Intrapersonal, interactional, and behavioral components of psychological empowerment among women in Colombia will be examined (Lim & Dixon, 2017; Zimmerman et al., 1995).

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Recreation, Sport, and Tourism

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Pazmino, Jazmin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Stodolska, Monika
• Liechty, Toni
• Ostler , Teresa
• Velez, Emma

• Empowerment
• Decolonial Feminist Theory
• Latinas In Sport
• Recreation
• Colombia

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Jazmin Pazmino

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127246

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127246