Feminilidade e Preconceito de Gênero no Futsal: Uma perspectiva de atletas brasileiras

Brazilian women elite futsal players’ career development: diversified experiences and late sport specialization

“…On this sociocultural aspect, Brazilian context is different from some countries in North America (USA and Canada) and Europe (Germany and Sweden, as examples), in which football practice is well developed and widespread among women 14 . In Brazilian reality, even amateur, as professional women futsal and football clubs, are affected by the reduced offer of investments, market consumption, and sponsorships in relation to men 16,17 .…”

“…Gender segregation in sport exerts an important influence on women sports career development from an early age 18,19 . Studies on women participation in futsal and football in Brazil 8,9,11,12,16,20 describe a number of issues and barriers faced by athletes. Among the main ones are: a) the lack of support from family during the beginning of sports career; b) the prejudice and discredit about the involvement of women in such sports; c) the scarce offer of practice opportunities to girls who wish to practice futsal as a sports activity.…”

“…Because these reasons, the gender segregation institutionalized by the separation on men and women competitions, and the consequent naturalization of such cultural differences 17,18,21,22 , women demand greater time and effort to incorporate social codes and behaviors considered appropriate to certain sport contexts 19 . This process of segregation create barriers to women participation in sport, reproducing a kind of men symbolic domination 22,23 , especially in sports that can be considered as men preserved practices, such as futsal 8,12,16 , influencing pedagogical processes as well as contexts of sports practices to girls and women 9,23,24 . Therefore, to investigate the career development of wellsucceeded women in sport can be a way to better understand how such social condition of gender issues and specific sport practice (training and competition) condition has influenced athletes' life and personal experiences 8,12,14 , as well as can work as a subsidy to reflect on policies and pedagogic intervention on sport activities for women 16,24 .…”

“…This process of segregation create barriers to women participation in sport, reproducing a kind of men symbolic domination 22,23 , especially in sports that can be considered as men preserved practices, such as futsal 8,12,16 , influencing pedagogical processes as well as contexts of sports practices to girls and women 9,23,24 . Therefore, to investigate the career development of wellsucceeded women in sport can be a way to better understand how such social condition of gender issues and specific sport practice (training and competition) condition has influenced athletes' life and personal experiences 8,12,14 , as well as can work as a subsidy to reflect on policies and pedagogic intervention on sport activities for women 16,24 . Studies on women who achieved an elite level in sport are justified by the athletes' career investment processes and their success 24,25 , overcoming not only barriers related to sports competition, but mainly to a wider sociocultural perspective 19,24 .…”

“…There is a need for growth in the number of studies on the sports career of women athletes 4,9,28 . With the increase of women participation in futsal, investigations that analyze and describe the processes and pathways within this sport become pertinent, especially due to their men preserved sociocultural characteristics 12,16 . Such studies can contribute to fostering reflections and practical interventions on making the sport more egalitarian and less prejudiced in relation to women participation, besides promoting pedagogical improvements on the processes of women sport career 16 .…”