Gender Issues in Taekwondo
Abstract
The aim of this research was to examine the impact of gender issues on the experiences of male and female athletes in taekwondo, with a special focus on the perception of equality, stereotypes about martial arts, as well as challenges and opportunities for athlete development regardless of gender. The research sample included thirty taekwondo practitioners of both genders from the Taekwondo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing five different clubs. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach, applying the in-depth interview technique. Based on qualitative coding methods, the final version of the coding tree identified three areas and five categories, with corresponding dimensions of gender issues in taekwondo. The research showed that gender equality and stereotypes in taekwondo are complex and dynamic issues. Although progress has been made in perception and practice, stereotypes still partially influence athletes' experiences, especially those of female athletes. The results indicate that family and community play a crucial role in overcoming these obstacles, while institutional investments and continuous education can further contribute to improving gender equality in this sport.
References
Antekolović, J. (2019). Rodna ravnopravnost u sportu: Izazovi i mogućnosti u kontekstu borilačkih sportova. Zagreb: Kineziološki fakultet, Univerzitet u Zagrebu.
Channon, A. G. & Matthews, C. R. (2018). Love fighting hate violence: An anti-violence program for martial arts and combat sports. Sociology of Sport Journal, 35(2), 108-116.
Channon, A. & Phipps, C. (2017). Pink gloves still give black eyes: Exploring „alternative“ femininty in women's combat sports. Martia Arts Studies, 3, 24-37.
Đorđević, N. (2020). Rodna ravnopravnost u sportu: Perspektiva borilačkih sportova. Teorija i praksa sporta, 18(1), 15-27.
Jovanović, S. (2017). Rodne barijere u ženskom judo sportu. Sport i društvo, 14(4), 109-121.
Kavoura, A., Kokkonen, M. & Chroni, S. (2014). Masculinity and femininty in the martial arts: A review. Sport & Exercise Psychology Rewiew, 10(1), 19-38.
Kim, E. & King, C. (2016). The politics of body and movement: the Korean female bodybuilder's dilemma. Sport in Society, 19(10), 1500-1514.
Lafferty, Y. & McKay, J. (2004). „Suffragettes in satin shorts?“ Gender and competitive boxing. Qualitative Sociology, 27.
Mennesson, C. (2000). “Hard“ women and “soft“ women: the social construction of identites among female boxers. International Rewiew for the Sociology of Sport, 35(1), 21-33.
Milenković, S. (2021). Rodna pitanja u sportu: Perspektive borilačkih sportova. Studije o sportu i društvu, 19(4), 35-47.
Owton, H. (2015). Reinventing the body-self: Intense, gendered and heightend sensorial experiences of women's boxing embodiment. Soccer & Society, 16(5-6), 593-602.
Paradis, E. (2012). Boxers, briefs or bras? Bodies, gender and change in the boxing gym. Body &Society, 18(2), 82-109.
Petrović, V. (2020). Ženski borilački sportovi u Srbiji: Od marginalizacije do priznanja. Zbornik radova Instituta za sociologiju, 12(2), 98-100.
Radosavljević, I. (2021). Žene i borilački sportovi: od stereotipa do profesionalizma. U Zbornik radova sa Međunarodne naučne konferencije „Contemporary Challenges in Sport, Physical Exercising & Active Lifestyle“, (str. 47–58). Beograd: Univerzitet u Beogradu, Fakultet sporta i fizičkog vaspitanja.
Savić, D. (2018). Prepoznavanje i uklanjanje rodnih stereotipa u borilačkim sportovima. Sport i kultura, 13(3), 123-135.
Spancer, D. C. (2014). Sensing violence: An ethnography of mixed martial arts. Etnofraphy, 15(2), 232-254.
Stojanović, M. i Đorđević, M. (2020). Rodni stereotipi u ženskim borilačkim sportovima: Analiza percepcije društva. Sociologija i sport, 16(2), 102-114.
Tadić, I. (2018). Žene u borilačkim sportovima: istorija, razvoj i trenutni položaj. Fizikalna kultura, sport i društvo, 12(3), 234-245.
Velija, P. & Flynn, J. (2010). “Their bottoms are the wrong shape“: Female jockeys and the theory of established and outsider relations. Sociology of Sport Jurnal, 27(3), 301-315.