Exploring how women basketball players experience their gendered status within the sport: an auto-photographic study

Abstract

Gender inequality in sports is a pervasive issue that transcends geographical, cultural, and socioeconomic boundaries. It is perhaps most pronounced in competitive sporting disciplines that have been historically dominated by men and where women seeking to enter, participate, and succeed in these sports have faced both explicit and implicit barriers, discrimination, and prejudice because they are women. This study explores how women basketball players experience gender disparities in the competitive sport of South African basketball, a sporting community traditionally dominated by men. Guided by a social constructionist theory of gender this study considers how women basketball players experience their gendered status as women within the sport of basketball. In doing so, the study aims to specifically examine how women’s gendered status in basketball informs their experience of (1) gendered marginalisation as well as (2) empowerment. Employing a qualitative research methodology and in effort to centre the voices and experience of women, thirteen women who play and coach competitive basketball in South Africa were voluntarily recruited to participate in individual semi-structured interviews followed by an opportunity to generate their own photographs (auto-photography) and participate in a photo-elicitation interview focused on their experiences of marginalisation and empowerment. A thematic analysis was then applied across the field of data to render an analysis which integrated the interviews with the auto-photographic data. Under the main theme of gendered marginalisation, the sub-themes of (1) gender inequality in the sport and (2) women’s under-representation were found. Under the main theme of gendered empowerment, the sub-themes of (1) inspiration to ‘play ball’ and (2) the benefits of playing basketball were found. The findings of this study highlight that there are direct and indirect forms of gendered marginalisation which underpin competitive inequalities for women basketball players. These marginalisations limit their competitive opportunities to succeed in the sport, relative to the men who play basketball, and sustain their under-representation at various levels of administration and competition of the sport. Despite these experiences, women basketball players nonetheless derive positive experiences from their participation in basketball and their perseverance against the patriarchal dividends of the sport. These experiences not only hold positive implications for their personal sense of well-being and overall life orientation but, also, play a significant role in forging meaningful solidarities amongst the women of this competitive community of sport.