Gender Role Conflict Revisited: An Exploration of Gender Role Expectations & Conflict Among Female Rugby Players

A qualitative study was conducted to investigate gender role conflict among female rugby players. The purpose of this study was to uncover gender role messages that female rugby players receive and to explore the degree to which they reported and experienced gender role conflict, as women participating in a traditionally masculine sport. Female rugby players were solicited from non-college rugby teams in the north-east and mid-Atlantic United States. Participants reported that they received conflicting expectations for their behaviour with respect to several aspects of the feminine gender role and the role of athlete. This book presents the findings of this study in relation to gender role expectations and conflicts of female rugby players.