Yes, I Used To Exercise, But... - A Feminist Study of Exercise in the Life of Swedish Women

This paper provides a psychological, social-constructivist, feminist analysis of exercise as a leisure activity in the life of Swedish women. Thematic in-depth interviews with fifty Swedish women between twenty and sixty years of age were analyzed within a psychological discursive model. Exercise wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of leisure research 1999-01, Vol.31 (1), p.35-56
Main Author: Thomsson, Heléne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
discursive psychology
Equality
Exercise
Families & family life
Family (Sociological Unit)
Females
Feminism
Feminist perspectives
Gender construction
Gender equity
Leisure
Leisure Time
Males
Middle aged women
Resistance (Psychology)
Self image
Sex differences
Social aspects
Social Problems
Society
Stereotypes
Sweden
Swedes
Women
Women's fitness
women's leisure
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Summary:This paper provides a psychological, social-constructivist, feminist analysis of exercise as a leisure activity in the life of Swedish women. Thematic in-depth interviews with fifty Swedish women between twenty and sixty years of age were analyzed within a psychological discursive model. Exercise was found to be both dissonant and consonant with the women's construction of themselves. Exercise was considered important in relation to physical appearance, weight gain, and as an appropriate gender activity. The study also showed the women's disassociation from male-marked sports, and the restrictions imposed by family obligations and a fear of being selfish. The findings were discussed in terms of the discourses of gender-equality, womanhood, and fitness that are deeply rooted within Swedish society.
ISSN:0022-2216
2159-6417
DOI:10.1080/00222216.1999.11949850