A critical examination of postnatal women’s community team sport participation: “Playing for team motherhood”

Abstract

Using a feminist lens, the purpose of this study is to understand the meanings and experiences of physically active leisure of postnatal women. Specifically, I aimed to critically examine how gendered expectations of motherhood impact their participation in community team sport after the birth of a child. Applying a critical feminist narrative inquiry approach, three interviews were conducted with each of the six postnatal women participated in this study. Three salient narratives developed that best reflect my interpretation of participants’ experiences: 1) Confronting the Challenges of Returning to Team Sport; 2) Relationships Aiding the Return to Team Sport; 3) Resistance and Empowerment Through Community Team Sport Participation. Moreover, these findings uncovered that gendered expectations of motherhood have a drastic impact on postnatal women's physically active leisure and lives. This study highlights the importance of creating equitable and inclusive policies, childcare, and programming that encourages postnatal women to return to community team sport without the pressures of intensive mothering hindering their participation.