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Exploring Gender Norms and Dynamics in Women's Community Australian Rules Football Spaces: A Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Research Design

delete2026-04-01
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PRE
AI
H
Hendriks, Jacqueline *
B
Burns, Sharyn
DOI:10.1177/21582440261418141delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Following the inaugural game of the Women's Australian Football League (AFLW), the number of women's community teams has grown exponentially. This increased presence of women's teams in formerly male-dominated clubs has highlighted gender inequities that create barriers to participation, reducing women's access to the manifold social and emotional health benefits associated with community sport. This protocol paper outlines a novel, strengths-based, doctoral study examining gender equity in Women's community-level Australian Rules football. This project aims to explore experiences and practices of gender norms and expectations within women's Australian Rules Football community clubs in Western Australia (WA). The project will employ a phased, mixed-methods approach, underpinned by queer theory and feminist frameworks, to better understand the socio-cultural context of embedded attitudes and values regarding gender roles, norms, and expectations. The three phases of the study will comprise: (a) scoping review; (b) quantitative survey; (c) embedded case studies examining clubs with strong inclusion policies for their women's teams. Unobtrusive methods (observation and audit) and participatory methods (group-based modelling workshops and in-depth, semi-structured interviews) will be utilised in phase three. The findings from each phase will be integrated using complexity theory to highlight the multiple intertwining relationships between complex cultural and gendered phenomena and their operationalisation in community club contexts. In doing so, the researchers aim to develop a template to empower clubs to address inequities in their unique contexts and facilitate all genders' access to the social, mental and health benefits of community Australian Rules football participation.
Keywords:
inclusion
diversity
gender
sport
Australian Rules football
women
transgender
masculinities

Journal

SAGE Open cover
SAGE Open
IF:
2
Papers:
1.2K
Citations:
1.4W

Organization

C
curtin university
Scholars:
2.2K
Papers: 1.2K
Citations: 1
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