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Discursive Constraints on Pregnant Women's Participation in Sport
Author(s) -
LONGHURST ROBYN
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
new zealand geographer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1745-7939
pISSN - 0028-8144
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-7939.1995.tb00438.x
Subject(s) - unborn child , gender studies , pregnancy , sociology , psychology , developmental psychology , biology , genetics
I discuss the discursive constraints on the participation in sport of 22 Hamilton women who are pregnant for the first time. Most women tended to withdraw from sport especially as they became more visibly pregnant. Their withdrawal can be partly explained using Julia Kristeva's notion of abjection. Pregnant bodies are often considered to be fragile, fearful and ‘inactive’‐they are containers for unborn children and are best confined to places and activities where protection for the unborn child can, supposedly, be maximised.