Women and the country of football: Intersections of gender, class, and race in brazil

Abstract

The field of research on women’s football has grown in Brazil in the past two decades. However, there is still a gap related to how class and race intersect gender in the constitution of that practice. To fill this gap, we analyzed the 2015 National Household Sample Survey’s Special Sports Supplement, based on descriptive and inferential statistics. We describe the profiles of women who play football in contemporary Brazil and compare them to those of men and other women who play sports other than football. Our results indicate that, in comparison to what occurs with women who practice sports in general, class and race have the opposite impact on adherence to football. The majority of women who practice football come from the lower classes and are black. By indicating this relationship, we demonstrate the need to promote racial equality, diversity, and inclusion of black women’s football narratives in Brazil.