Motivaciones y obstáculos en la práctica del fútbol femenino en Córdoba (Motivations and obstacles in the practice of female football in Córdoba (Spain))

• Published in: Retos (Madrid) 2022-01, Vol.46, p.301
• Main Authors: Rosario Mérida Serrano, García, Ana Panzuela, Miguel Muñoz Moya, González-Alfaya, María Elena
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; spa
• Subjects: Employed Women; Females; Interpersonal Relationship; Principals; Professional football; Sex Stereotypes; Team Sports
• ISSN: 1579-1726; 1988-2041
• DOI: 10.47197/retos.v46.88305

The main goal that guides this work is to identify what motivations and obstacles women football players perceive in the practice of competitive football. For this purpose, the origins of football, understood as an exclusively male sport, are explored, as well as its repercussions on the scarce presence of women in today's competitive football clubs. The study is based on a quantitative method by applying the ESOFUM scale (Scale of analysis of the motivations and obstacles of women for the practice of competitive football) to 189 players from seven clubs in the province of Córdoba (Spain). A descriptive and inferential analysis of the data derived from the ad hoc scale is carried out. The following results were drawn: (1) What motivates women primarily to play competitive football is the pursuit of their personal well-being -health, physical appearance, psychological balance and social interaction; and (2) Gender stereotypes derived from a patriarchal culture, linked to femininity and motherhood, together with the poor economic and working conditions that affect the practice of professional women's football, hinder the professional practice of this sport by women. Due to the multiple benefits that this sport generates, it is necessary to promote measures, and that these be adapted to the characteristics and demands of the female players, that dignify their efforts and transform the masculinised vision of this sport that still exists in our society nowadays.