‘You're not good’: inequalities experienced by women in physical education during their childhood and adolescence

Background Physical Education (PE) is a space for both the reproduction and change of power relations, due to its close relationship with physical activities and sports (PAS) and its masculine tradition. It is still deeply rooted in the perpetuation of hegemonic masculinity and its consequent behaviors. These behaviors, typically exhibited by boys, contribute to the discrimination experienced by many students whose characteristics do not align with the traits of hegemonic masculinity. Poststructuralist feminism recognizes all individuals as active participants in the negotiations of gender power relations, and therefore does not consider girls as passive victims of oppression. In other words, although it might appear that they are being passive in their actions, these attitudes indicate a resistance to engaging in a technical and traditional PE which perpetuates hegemonic masculinity.