Suchergebnisse

This article reports selected findings from a programme of postgraduate research which examined women's identifications with feminism in Northern Ireland. This qualitative study used repertory grids and semi-structured interviews to explore the meanings of feminism with a total of 31 women. It shows how women `s perceptions of feminists have affected their decisions about whether or not to identify themselves as such. The data reported here are from case studies of 26 women. The repertory grids uncovered perceived commonalities and differences between women `s present and ideal selves and feminists, while the interviews revealed some of the conflicts women negotiate in their daily lives and the compromises they must make in attempts at conflict resolution. A conflicting picture emerges in which many women support feminist ideals but do not identify as feminists because of a negative stereotype of feminists. While this stereotype has specific connotations in the context of Northern Ireland, it seems likely that certain aspects of it, and the ways in which it is used, may apply to other patriarchal and heterosexist societies.

This paper reports the findings of a survey of 2295 young people aged from 7 to 17 years, who were attending 119 schools in Northern Ireland. The survey was concerned with the level, extent, antecedents and consequences of sport participation. Four sports (soccer, swimming, netball and Gaelic football) accounted for just over half of the nominated `top sports'. The differences and similarities in the patterns of sport participation among students at Catholic and Protestant schools highlighted the importance of structural factors as well as personal and demographic variables in promoting and maintaining the voluntary involvement of young people in sport.