Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Power Of “Small Stories:” Narratives And Notions Of Gender Equality In Conversations About Sport, Marie Hardin, Erin E. Whiteside

School of Journalism and Electronic Media Publications and Other Works

This study examines narratives by young adults about sport and gender in relation to equality. Specifically, we explore how focus-group participants used small stories to situate male and female athletes and Title IX. The U.S. law has been credited for increasing opportunities for girls and women but is considered a source of tension for gender relations. Our findings suggest that participants’ stories ultimately did not support emancipatory goals for girls and women because they positioned equality as a right women had not earned. We argue that feminists cannot underestimate the need to inject counternarratives into public discourse at every level, …