| With the rise in popularity of combative Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), more men and women are participating in aggressive sports, such as Muay Thai kickboxing. Drawing on gender theory that the macro structure of gender shapes personal experiences within social institutions, this research explores the ways in which gender shapes the experiences of women in a Mauy Thai kickboxing class. I find three major ways gender shapes their experiences---through gendered discourses, gender neutralizing techniques, and gendered bodies and physical space. In addition to gender theory, this paper also employs an understanding of social deviance to explain why women in the Muay Thai kickboxing class engage in specific gender neutralizing techniques. The space created in the martial arts school supports the perpetuation of hyper-masculinity in core sports. I conclude that despite the opportunity to do so, these women fail to launch a successful challenge to the larger structure of gender. I call for further research exploring the reasons why such challenges have been co-opted within the institution of sport. |
