TY - JOUR
T1 - Air Ball
T2 - Missing the Net on Female Elite Athletes’ Reproductive Health
AU - Jayawickrama, Shehani
AU - Loutrianakis, Georgia
AU - Vincent, Kathleen
AU - Campo-Engelstein, Lisa
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© International Network on Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, 2023.
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - We argue the dearth of research on elite ciswomen athletes’ reproductive health is because athletics remains associated with masculinity, and female athletes therefore do not adhere to normative femininity and motherhood. In choosing a masculine career, it is assumed that elite athletes will reject other feminine activities, such as motherhood. We further argue that female athletes are considered especially ineligible for motherhood because their career choice violates normative motherhood by engaging in “risky” behavior (i.e., physical activity). By continuing with their career, athletes are accused of being “bad” mothers by not adhering to the gender norm of mothers as self-sacrificing.
AB - We argue the dearth of research on elite ciswomen athletes’ reproductive health is because athletics remains associated with masculinity, and female athletes therefore do not adhere to normative femininity and motherhood. In choosing a masculine career, it is assumed that elite athletes will reject other feminine activities, such as motherhood. We further argue that female athletes are considered especially ineligible for motherhood because their career choice violates normative motherhood by engaging in “risky” behavior (i.e., physical activity). By continuing with their career, athletes are accused of being “bad” mothers by not adhering to the gender norm of mothers as self-sacrificing.
KW - assisted reproductive technologies
KW - elite athletes
KW - gender norms
KW - motherhood
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85158856885&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85158856885&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3138/ijfab-2022-0004
DO - 10.3138/ijfab-2022-0004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85158856885
SN - 1937-4585
VL - 16
SP - 21
EP - 33
JO - International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics
JF - International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics
IS - 1
ER -