HAZING IN GIRLS’ AND WOMEN’S SPORT POST-TITLE IX: SOCIAL CHANGE, ATHLETES’ EXPERIENCES AND COMMUNITY RESPONSES IN THE UNITED STATES

Publication Date

12-6-2024

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Research in the Sociology of Sport

Volume

23

DOI

10.1108/S1476-285420240000023009

First Page

145

Last Page

163

Abstract

Since Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) was signed into law, the landscape of sport in the United States has changed dramatically, not only in terms of sport participation rates for girls and women but also increased levels of support, sponsorship, viewership, competition and media coverage. While educational institutions were slow to develop and implement policies to comply with Title IX, decades later, girls’ and women’s sports have shown clear signs of having reaped the benefits of the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or gender in educational programmes receiving federal funding. As girls’ and women’s participation in scholastic and collegiate sport has grown, however, so too have reported incidents and public exposure of harmful hazing activities among female athletes. The purpose of this chapter is to examine hazing practices in girls’ and women’s sports, including the perspectives of female athletes and the broader community. Based on quantitative and qualitative survey data, interviews with college female athletes and public responses to hazing reports in the media, this chapter presents an analysis of hazing in girls’ and women’s sports 401 years post-Title IX. Findings showed mixed opinions about the dangers and perceived utility of hazing ceremonies, highlighted athletes’ ideas to promote positive team interactions in lieu of hazing and considered the impact ofcontemporary social and cultural shifts on athletes’ ability and willingness to speak out against hazing and other forms of violence and abuse in sports.

Keywords

female athletes, gender-based violence, team hazing, Title IX, University sport, women’s athletics

Department

Kinesiology

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