Work

Portuguese Female Bodybuilders: Between Constraints and Expectations

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This exploratory study aims to identify and characterize the negative effects associated with the phenomenon of tokenism for Portuguese female bodybuilders, as well as the strategies they follow to integrate and remain in a context where men are significantly the majority and whose culture is marked by hegemonic masculinity. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven men and eight women practicing bodybuilding and performed a thematic analysis of their recorded statements. Our analyses confirm that the context of bodybuilding is strongly gendered, in which, being a minority, women have more visibility, and organizational and group practices serve to diminish their efforts and results, placing them in an ambiguous and paradoxical territory.

Source: Societies

DOI: 10.3390/soc16090275

Authors: Inês Sofia Pinto, António Manuel Marques, Maria Helena Santos

Institutions: Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Escola de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Politécnica de Setúbal

Language: English

Topic: Sports, Gender, and Society

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,689