Sociological Analysis of Sexual Violence in Sports

Why in the news?

• In January 2023, Indian wrestlers began protesting for an investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
• The protest intensified in May 2023 and the wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat said they will throw their medals in the Ganga river and fast indefinitely at the India Gate.

• Interpersonal and Organizational Power:
• Michel Foucault's theoretical framework of power dynamics is instrumental in understanding sexual violence in sports. The unchecked authority of coaches, the normalization of intrusive behaviours, and the perceived invulnerability of successful athletes can foster a culture of silence around sexual violence.
• Organizational power plays a crucial role in defining what behavior is seen as normal in sports. Sports organizations are often dominated by men, signalling a gendered power imbalance (Fasting and Sand, 2015).
• The relationship between power and sexual violence is nuanced; sexual violence has been shown to be more about power than sexuality.
• Four types of power influenced by hegemonic masculinity have been identified as prevalent in the sports relationship, which can lead to power imbalances and potential abuse (Sand et al., 2011)
• Positional
• Expert
• Physical
• Gender
• Social Roles and Ambiguous Boundaries:
• From a sociological perspective, social roles include a set of expectations, rights, duties, and behaviours that a person in a specific social position is expected to fulfill.
• The idea that people enact various social positions is common in role theory, with theoretical strands provided by thinkers such as Herbert Mead, Talcott Parsons, and Georg Simmel.
• Role ambiguity can lead to unclear boundaries between coaches or authorities and athletes. Athletes may ascribe many roles to their coaches/authorities, ranging from instructor to friend, which can make identifying inappropriate behaviour difficult (Stirling and Kerr, 2009).
• The complexity and ambiguity of these roles can potentially foster situations that might lead to sexual violence (Hindin, 2007).
• Hegemonic Masculinity:
• Raewyn Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity is also crucial in analyzing sexual violence in sports. Hegemonic masculinity refers to the culturally idealized form of masculine character that emphasizes traits such as toughness, competitiveness, and sexual dominance.
• In sports, these masculine ideals can be exacerbated due to the competitive nature and physical intensity often associated with athletic activities.
• This can contribute to a culture that dismisses or even condones sexual violence, seeing it as an extension of these masculine ideals.
• Symbolic Violence:
• Pierre Bourdieu's concept of symbolic violence is another key sociological lens through which to examine sexual violence in sports. Symbolic violence refers to the process where individuals unconsciously accept and internalize established social hierarchies and power structures, even if these are detrimental to their own well-being.
• In sports, symbolic violence may manifest through the normalized culture of "toughness" and "masculinity", which often discourages athletes from speaking out against abuse for fear of seeming weak.
• This normalization process can also lead to the trivialization of sexual violence, reducing the likelihood that such instances are reported and addressed.
• Grooming Process:
• The term "grooming" describes strategies used by abusers to persuade children to engage in sexual activities, as defined by Finkelhor.
• In a sporting context, building trust in coaches is a crucial part of grooming (Brackenridge and Fasting, 2005). Brackenridge's model of the grooming process is used to illustrate the stages, characteristics, and purposes of this process between coaches and athletes.
• Grooming tactics can include developing friendships, crossing personal boundaries, and expanding the coach's reputation.
• Gender also plays a role in the grooming strategies used by coaches (Brackenridge et al., 2008).
• Heteronormative Constructs of Sexual Violence:
• Sexual violence in sports is often examined within a heteronormative framework where the male is the perpetrator and the female is the victim, limiting the discourse and neglecting other forms of sexual abuse, such as same-sex violence (Hartill, 2014; Johansson and Larsson, 2016).
• The predominant heteronormative perspective often ignores women's agency and their sexual desires, particularly in coach-athlete relationships, and makes same-sex relationships virtually invisible.
• Some research has found that same-sex sexual abuse is often considered a taboo and an "untellable story" due to the heteronormative gender order in sports (Hartill, 2014; Rulofs, 2016).