Gender Issue in Masculine Sports in Indonesia: A Case Study

Background. Women's participation in sports has been improved in terms of number and types of sport. This improvement is realized due to culture change as an impact of direct dissemination of family of athletes. During the past 15 years, the change seems to be evident where on the 2005 Sea Games, Indonesian female athletes had the opportunity to participate in the event, even though their achievements were not as remarkable as the athletes of the other countries. Objectives. This study aims to investigate the opportunities of Indonesian young female athletes to have a career in masculine sports. Methods. Two Indonesian young female athletes who excel in judo and weightlifting were selected to participate in this study. By employing feminist theory, the study explains how parents and schools preserve the culture and pass it on from generation to generation. However, if the same opportunities are provided to each child, even young female, could have significant achievement similar to the study participants. Results. From the interview, it was revealed that Indonesian female athletes’ predicaments in training were due to; a) changes in the body shape; b) hegemonic masculinity culture; c) family factors. Conclusion. At the same time, this study was also considering the sports family as a social agent in providing the community with an understanding regarding the consequences of the extended training process and the matches that female athletes have to experience to achieve something remarkable.