WOMEN IN BOXING: NEGOTIATIONS OF MASCULINITIES AND FEMININITIES IN THE GYM

Abstract

We seek to highlight how traditional notions of masculinity and femininity (and heterosexism) affect the practice of boxing. With this objective and through an ethnographic study carried out in a gym, we reflect on the participation of women in boxing classes, identifying the differences between the practice of men and women. We observed a "naturalization" of what is traditionally considered masculine (virility, aggressiveness, etc.) and feminine (restraint, sensitivity, etc.), but which nevertheless are reconfigured. The results were organized into three categories: on the practice in the space of the gym; on gender separation; and on the crossing of gender boundaries, which is when the woman, due to objectives related to the struggle, tends to be masculinized. The meanings attributed to the practice of boxing are also tensioned, in which the athletes' own sexuality is questioned, demarcating heterosexuality as the norm.