Gendered experiences among strength athletes in Singapore

• Main Author: Chng, Ivan Oon Wei
• Other Authors: Teo You Yenn
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/55845
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The arena of sports and gender has been well documented given that the discourse of the athletic body conflicts with that of the feminine body. This study explores the gender experiences of strength athletes in Singapore. Negotiating gender within strength sports becomes a complex issue right from the start when female athletes decide to participate, as connotations of masculinity is imbued into notions of strength and subsequent muscle gains. The findings will show how athletes make sense of and redefine what it means to be strong and muscular through in-depth interviews with 16 strength athletes in Singapore. Female athletes feel empowered as they are able to prove themselves as equal to men, successfully redefining notions of femininity. However, the process of legitimizing participation may have had the unintended consequence of simultaneously reinforcing it as well.