La creación de peñas de mujeres: ¿Un desafío a la configuración del sistema sexo/género en el fútbol Español?

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the study of women peñas in Spanish football. Taking into account the strong masculine ethos or character that traditionally has characterised this sport, the study of women’s peñas has an undoubtable socio-anthropological interest since it allows a better understanding of the dynamics that operates in the gender dimension of this sport. The study has tried to answer to what extent the creation of a female supporter community is a challenge to the configuration of the sex/gender system which characterizes football in Spanish society. To answer this question the study has addressed topics such as the reasons for the creation and belonging to this kind of peñas, their working and internal organization as well as the kind of experiences they provide to their members. Seven women belonging to exclusively women’s football peñas were interviewed. The study has shown that women who are member of these women’s football see these communities as a space of liberation from the male domination of football. On the other hand, these women feel that these peñas allow them to affirm their interest in this sport and create their own space around it. The female peñas become an access route to a strongly masculinised public space and a way to reach a position of recognition in this space. These peñas constitute a challenge to the sex/ gender system which dominates the Spanish football as long as they transgress some of the rules that articulate this system. However, they coexist with traditional gender beliefs which still prevail in some of the women who participate in these female communities.