A man's game?: Women playing rugby union in Australia

Abstract

Women have had a long history of participation in modern sporting activities though they have faced countless barriers to sporting competition, particularly in ‘contact’ sports. As we move into the twenty-first century, many more doors are opening for the sporting woman, and games previously thought to ‘belong’ to men are becoming attractive options for women. One sport that is enjoying increasing popularity amongst women is rugby union. Since the 1970s women have taken up rugby union and significant numbers of women now play the game in the British Isles, Europe, North America and Australasia. Although many may delight in the apparent breakdown of the masculine exclusivity that traditionally has been maintained within rugby, a thorough investigation of the emerging female rugby culture reveals a sporting site that still reinforces and echoes historical, masculine-orientated stereotypes. This case study examines women’s rugby culture through an analysis of an Australian rugby club and the culture that surrounds the women’s team, as well as the questioning of the culture that emerges around the playing of such a hyper-masculine sport. This will be done in an attempt to understand why women are playing football when they face strong societal opposition based on historical, social and physical perceptions about the relationship of women to contact sports.

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