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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

Mobilities in women’s amateur football in Rio de Janeiro

presenters

    Julia Haß

    Nationality: Deutschland

    Residence: Deutschland

    Freie Universität Berlin

    Presence:Online

This presentation deals with different dimensions of mobility (spatial, social etc.) in women’s amateur football in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Women’s amateur football is very popular in Rio de Janeiro. Many female players in Rio de Janeiro have a migration background: they move from other States (especially from the Brazilian Northeast) to the metropolis. Economic reasons are often decisive factor. But some also hope to be able to play football in Rio de Janeiro. Female players often have a low social background and live in geographically and socially marginalized neighborhoods. As part of their participation in amateur football – to get to training and tournaments, the players move a lot around the city. Here they are confronted with a challenging urban environment. Becoming a professional footballer and playing in a professional league abroad is a big dream for some women. Others, on the other hand, know from the outset that they want to remain exclusively amateurs. But amateur football can also open up new opportunities for them. Young women from lower social status classes can experience opportunities for social advancement through participation in amateur football. Different dimensions of mobility in women’s amateur football reveal processes of female self-empowerment in football spaces that have been dominated by men for a long time. On the other part, they make visible great social and gender inequalities.

Keywords:

Women amateur football; Rio de Janeiro; gender, urban and social inequalities; female self-empowerment