Alternative femininities in a male-dominated field. The case of women referees in football.
In this paper, an attempt is made to highlight the ways in which, in a male dominated field, such as football arbitration, femininities are produced, how they emerge and whether they are some prevalent over others. The research is based on the theory of gender performance (perfomativity), and theories of femininities and masculinities, as suggested by Raewyn Connell, Mimi Schippers and Jack / Judith Halberstam. The field of arbitration is not only a sports area but also a professional space. With this in mind, the research examines the femininities that are promoted in the field of arbitration and, on the other hand, examines the phenomenon of “ceiling glass” and whether it appears in this specific field. The main questions, therefore, of the present study were: “How is it to be a woman in a male-dominated sporting field?” and “How is it to be a woman in a male-dominated profession?”. To investigate the above questions, this qualitative research follows the interpretive approach and examines the semi-structured interviews of nine different ages and experiences of female arbitrators.