(Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Activity)
by Lucy Spowart (Editor), Kerry R. McGannon (Editor)
Although
sport participation decreases on average for women once they become
mothers, female athletes from the recreational, to the competitive, to
the elite level have demonstrated that motherhood does not signal the
end of sport engagement and athletic identities, or career and
leadership roles. This is the first book to offer an in-depth
examination of the nexus of women, sport and culture within the context
of motherhood, uncovering new narratives that raise the profile of
non-conformist performances.
The book brings together
international researchers using innovative and rigorous qualitative
methods to show how sport affords or constrains women’s agency to
devise, negotiate and live alternative versions of motherhood in and
through sport. Presenting stories of sporting mothers in contexts
including martial arts, leisure swimming, recreational running,
triathlon and climbing, the book explores the shifting meaning and
practices of motherhood across social, cultural and media/digital
landscapes.
Deliberately challenging
taken-for-granted ways of thinking about motherhood and sport, this book
is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the
socio-cultural study of sport, gender and sport, women’s studies, sport
coaching, sport leadership, sport development, or qualitative and
digital research methods.
