"Women\u27s Sports is Not a Real Sports": Negative Stereotypes about Sportswomen and the Experience of Gender Inequality in Handball in Croatia

Osnovni cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi koliko se često mladi rukometaši i rukometašice susreću s negativnim stereotipima prema sportašicama. Osim spomenutoga, ispitali smo razlikuju li se sportašice koje su u različitom stupnju izložene negativnim stereotipima u doživljaju rodne neravnopravnosti koja se očituje u nejednakim uvjetima treniranja i nejednakom načinu vrednovanja sportskih postignuća mladića i djevojaka koji treniraju u njihovom sportskom klubu. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 522 rukometaša/ica (289 mladića i 233 djevojaka) čiji se raspon dobi kretao od 14 do 17 godina (M=14,75; SD=0,96). Prema dobivenim rezultatima, s negativnim se stereotipima prema sportašicama i/ili sportu u kojem sudjeluju djevojke susrelo 94,5% mladića i 95,6% djevojaka. Mlade su sportašice češće izložene stavu prema kojem sport nije aktivnost namijenjena djevojkama (U=28188,00, p<0,05), odnosno stavu koji podrazumijeva da sport u kojem sudjeluju žene nije atraktivan (U=28111,00, p<0,05). Djevojke koje se češće susreću s negativnim stereotipima prema sportašicama statistički značajno češće navode da sportaši i sportašice u njihovom klubu ne treniraju u jednakim uvjetima (U=3551,000, p<0,001) te da se njihovi sportski uspjesi ne vrednuju na isti način (U=3353,500, p<0,001). Dobiveni rezultati upućuju na potrebu za poduzimanjem mjera s ciljem suzbijanja negativnih stereotipa prema sportašicama te omogućavanja jednakih uvjeta treniranja i vrednovanja sportskih rezultata sportaša i sportašica.The main aim of the study was to determine how often young handball players encountered negative stereotypes towards sportswomen. In addition, we examined whether young sportswomen who were differentially exposed to those stereotypes differed in their perception of gender inequality regarding training conditions and sporting achievement appraisal of boys and girls in their sports clubs. The study involved 522 handball players (289 boys and 233 girls) whose ages ranged from 14 to 17 years (M = 14.75; SD = 0.96). The results showed that 94.5 % of boys and 95.6 % of girls who participated in the study have heard negative stereotypes towards sportswomen and/or the sports in which they participate. Young sportswomen were more often exposed to the attitudes according to which sports activities are not suitable for girls (U = 28188,00, p <0,05) as well as to the attitudes implying that women’s sports are not attractive (U = 28111.00, p <0.05). Furthermore, girls who were more often exposed to negative stereotypes towards sportswomen more frequently reported that boys and girls in their club trained in unequal conditions (U = 3551,000, p <0.001) and that their sports achievements were not valued equally (U = 3353,500, p