Open Play: The Case for Feminist Sport
Sheree Bekker · Stephen Mumford
Mar 2025 · Reaktion Books
Ebook
180
Pages
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About this ebook
“This courageous book should spark a revolution in sport.”—Caster Semenya • “An articulate and convincing case that the segregation of women’s sports functions less as a benefit to women than a means of propping up patriarchal systems. It’s a trenchant, provocative take on a hot-button issue.”—Publishers Weekly
A thought-provoking manifesto arguing for the end of gender segregation in athletics.
Sheree Bekker and Stephen Mumford argue that the category of “women’s sports” is not the feminist win some would have you believe. Instead, the segregation of women in sports is just one of the many ways in which women are told to expect less from society. Women had to fight to be included in sports in the first place, and are now only included under far less favorable terms than those enjoyed by men. There are better ways to ensure safety and fairness, the authors make clear, than segregation by gender. And this matters deeply: ending gender segregation would encourage a more equitable distribution of resources, increase women’s participation in sports, and challenge outdated, sexist myths about women and their bodies.
A thought-provoking manifesto arguing for the end of gender segregation in athletics.
Sheree Bekker and Stephen Mumford argue that the category of “women’s sports” is not the feminist win some would have you believe. Instead, the segregation of women in sports is just one of the many ways in which women are told to expect less from society. Women had to fight to be included in sports in the first place, and are now only included under far less favorable terms than those enjoyed by men. There are better ways to ensure safety and fairness, the authors make clear, than segregation by gender. And this matters deeply: ending gender segregation would encourage a more equitable distribution of resources, increase women’s participation in sports, and challenge outdated, sexist myths about women and their bodies.
About the author
Sheree Bekker is associate professor in the Department for Health at the University of Bath. Her work centers on feminist perspectives in sports and she is co-lead of the Feminist Sport Lab. Stephen Mumford is a philosopher at Durham University. His many books include A Philosopher Looks at Sport, and he is also co-lead of the Feminist Sport Lab.
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