Physical Education in the Portuguese educational system: reaffirming hegemonic masculinity

Abstract

Studying gender issues mean analyzing the construction of masculinities and femininities, while maintaining awareness that these constructions are shifting and provisory. The adequate way to become an adult man in a particular society is a cultural construction that may imply in a number of more or less dramatic experiences. "To be a man" is never reduced to merely sexual characteristics, but rather refers to a set of moral attributes and conducts that are socially sanctioned, under constant re-evaluation and negotiation and are the source of constant reminder. It is a continuous process of construction (VALE DE ALMEIDA, 2000). Sport, widely recognized as a territory of male predominance, has been a privileged site for the construction of particular representations of masculinity, whether practicing in high performance, leisure or school activities. In our understanding sport as a prime site for the gendering of bodies, the goal of this study is to analyze representations of hegemonic masculinity within the Physical Education curriculum of the current Portuguese educational system. The data analyzed come from semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers and 40 students as well as the observation of 60 classes. Data analysis was carried out using a qualitative approach employing inductive application of sensitizing concepts (PATTON, 2002). The interviews were subjected to an interpretive analysis of information via application of the QSRNVivo program. Analysis of empirical data has enabled us to argue that sports practice seems to propagate hegemonic masculinity, through an implicit learning and recognition of a "masculine code" that is indispensable for full assertion and acceptance of one's "being a man".