Estereotipos de género en la práctica deportiva: análisis del contexto deportivo en el Centro Hábitat U en el año 2024

Abstract

The present study analyzes how gender stereotypes are related to the practice of physical activities and sports by men and women. The main objective is to analyze how these stereotypes influence sport development by imposing expectations about which sports are considered appropriate for each gender. These expectations limit the participation of men and women, reinforcing preconceived ideas about what activities they should practice, which restricts equal access to various disciplines and affects the way they perceive and develop their sports skills. The research follows a mixed approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. In the quantitative phase, surveys were conducted with 116 adult users of the Habitat U Sports Center, in the disciplines: Crossfit, Jiu-jitsu, Swimming, Kendo, Pilates and Taekwondo, while in the qualitative phase, 11 interviews were conducted and discipline and gender were considered. The results of the research showed that gender stereotypes, such as the association of certain sports with masculinity or femininity and the underestimation of women's physical abilities, influence the practice of sports by perpetuating inequalities and limiting participation in different disciplines. Such is the case of the Pilates discipline which groups 14% of users and the majority are women, 75% compared to 25% of men; or the case of the Taekwondo discipline which, although it groups only 9% of users, the majority are men, 64% compared to 36% of women. Changes were found in disciplines such as Crossfit, which has 22% of users and most of them are women, 60% compared to 40% of men.