by Jill Moffatt, Andrea Bundon, Ann Pegoraro and Kerry McGannon, The Conversation
Being an athlete while also being a mother often comes with challenges. On top of their professional and parental duties, athlete mothers often contend with inequalities and media coverage that reinforces stereotypes.
Pregnancy and motherhood are reasons why some sportswomen end their careers. Many athletes grapple with sports organizations that are unprepared to support them as mothers, alongside cultural pressures to focus on just motherhood. Yet, many athletes have pursued both motherhood and their athletic ambitions and gained professional success and media attention.
Acceptance of motherhood and sports careers is shifting. The 2024 Paris Olympics supported athlete mothers by providing spaces for child care, and mothers in the Professional Women’s Hockey League are gaining media attention.
Media coverage of athlete mothers has been increasingly showcasing how they can have successful sporting careers. It also helps to expose inequalities as they push for support for their careers. These include limited information about training during pregnancy and postpartum, lack of support for family planning, inadequate maternity and child-care policies and insufficient support for identity and career changes.
As part of our recently published research, we analyzed news and sports media coverage of 2020 and 2024 Olympic athlete mothers to reveal several themes. We also explored media reports about athlete mothers’ sports comebacks.
Athlete mothers
Our research reveals that sports media portrays the idea of being both an athlete and a mother as possible, but with challenges. Athlete mothers must often contend with social expectations that women should do everything for their children, including sacrificing career ambitions.
Our research on media stories of boxer Mandy Bujold’s and basketball player Kim Gaucher’s 2020 Olympic journeys highlights how motherhood can be a penalty in sport.
Bujold was returning to top form after giving birth, but the pandemic forced the International Boxing Federation to cancel all upcoming Olympic qualification events. They subsequently reverted to pre-pandemic rankings, which excluded Bujold, as she was on maternity leave.
Gaucher was told there would be no children allowed at the Games. She was forced to choose between competing at the Olympics or staying home to breastfeed her daughter. After telling their stories in the media and hiring a lawyer, Bujold retained her ranking and Gaucher was able to bring her daughter to the Olympics to breastfeed her.
These two examples highlight the inequitable treatment and stress athlete mothers have to face. They also show that motherhood and sport are compatible. When the media elevates sportswomen’s fight for maternity rights, change is possible and celebrated.
Super moms
Our research on Olympic athlete mothers’ sporting comebacks shows media stories featuring “super mums” as the stars. Super mums are portrayed as selfless providers of child-care who excel in motherhood and their athletic careers. The super mum character in media stories celebrates these sportswomen’s accomplishments.
However, the super mum narrative can also ignore the difficulties of balancing motherhood and sport without support. There is a lack of postpartum training guidelines among national and international sporting bodies, and lack of funding to support athlete mothers.
The expectation that they have to be able to “do it all” can make any mother feel inadequate.
Canadian freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe recently spoke about the pressure this narrative places on athlete mothers: “When I got pregnant, I kind of was just like ‘that’s all, I’m done.’ At the time in my mind, there was just no way that [a return to competition] was going to work. I was like, ‘I can’t do that. I’m not a superhero.'”
Kenyan Olympic track athlete Faith Kipyegon revealed health issues and fears she had when coming back to sport. Kipyegon managed to train until she was about five months pregnant, but the delivery was traumatic. She needed an emergency C-section to deliver her daughter. “I was so afraid, [thinking], ‘Maybe I will not come back, I will just disappear,'” she said.
These examples showcase the realities elite athlete mothers continue to face. Sports journalist Shireen Ahmed has written about how it is unreasonable to expect athlete mothers to be superwomen: “Yes, that is unrealistic, but sometimes that is what we are faced with. It doesn’t always manifest gracefully, but there it is.”
Ahmed’s reporting of athlete mothers’ stories is groundbreaking, as she celebrates their athleticism while exposing some of the challenges they face.
A motherhood penalty
While elite women athletes are applauded for their experience and success, they can also face a motherhood penalty in the form of reduced career expectations and support.
Despite having experience or previous success, media stories often represent these athletes as exceptions who come back to their careers against all odds. This may reflect veteran athletes navigating an underestimated, but successful, postpartum comeback with less resources.
When older athlete mothers do succeed, there is sometimes a shock and surprise narrative in media coverage. This narrative may reinforce stereotypes that motherhood ends fitness and competitive sporting goals.
Veteran Canadian Olympian Malindi Elmore’s marathon running performance qualified her for the 2020 Olympics, despite her age and her retirement from 1500 m running 17 years earlier.
Last September, Elmore set a personal best in the marathon to qualify for Paris 2024 at 43, showing that continued career success as a mother is possible.
Changing the way these comeback stories are discussed can reduce pressure for veteran athlete mothers coming back to sport.
What next?
The themes from our research shows that media stories of motherhood and sport are shifting to celebrate women’s sport careers.
Media stories that reflect the realities of athlete motherhood and more diverse athlete mothers are needed. There should also be more coverage of racialized and LGBTQ+ mothers and athlete mothers with disabilities.
Such coverage would reveal their shared and unique challenges and triumphs, and would offer a more fulsome portrayal of athlete motherhood.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Citation:
Changing the narrative about athlete mothers’ comeback stories (2024, December 24)
retrieved 24 December 2024
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-narrative-athlete-mothers-comeback-stories.html
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part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
by Jill Moffatt, Andrea Bundon, Ann Pegoraro and Kerry McGannon, The Conversation Being an athlete while also being a mother often comes with challenges. On top of their professional and parental duties, athlete mothers often contend with inequalities and media coverage that reinforces stereotypes. Pregnancy and motherhood are reasons why some sportswomen end their careers. Many athletes grapple with sports organizations that are unprepared to support them as mothers, alongside cultural pressures to focus on just motherhood. Yet, many athletes have pursued both motherhood and their athletic ambitions and gained professional success and media attention. Acceptance of motherhood and sports careers is shifting. The 2024 Paris Olympics supported athlete mothers by providing spaces for child care, and mothers in the Professional Women’s Hockey League are gaining media attention. Media coverage of athlete mothers has been increasingly showcasing how they can have successful sporting careers. It also helps to expose inequalities as they push for support for their careers. These include limited information about training during pregnancy and postpartum, lack of support for family planning, inadequate maternity and child-care policies and insufficient support for identity and career changes. As part of our recently published research, we analyzed news and sports media coverage of 2020 and 2024 Olympic athlete mothers to reveal several themes. We also explored media reports about athlete mothers’ sports comebacks. Our research reveals that sports media portrays the idea of being both an athlete and a mother as possible, but with challenges. Athlete mothers must often contend with social expectations that women should do everything for their children, including sacrificing career ambitions. Our research on media stories of boxer Mandy Bujold’s and basketball player Kim Gaucher’s 2020 Olympic journeys highlights how motherhood can be a penalty in sport. Bujold was returning to top form after giving birth, but the pandemic forced the International Boxing Federation to cancel all upcoming Olympic qualification events. They subsequently reverted to pre-pandemic rankings, which excluded Bujold, as she was on maternity leave. Gaucher was told there would be no children allowed at the Games. She was forced to choose between competing at the Olympics or staying home to breastfeed her daughter. After telling their stories in the media and hiring a lawyer, Bujold retained her ranking and Gaucher was able to bring her daughter to the Olympics to breastfeed her. These two examples highlight the inequitable treatment and stress athlete mothers have to face. They also show that motherhood and sport are compatible. When the media elevates sportswomen’s fight for maternity rights, change is possible and celebrated. Our research on Olympic athlete mothers’ sporting comebacks shows media stories featuring “super mums” as the stars. Super mums are portrayed as selfless providers of child-care who excel in motherhood and their athletic careers. The super mum character in media stories celebrates these sportswomen’s accomplishments. However, the super mum narrative can also ignore the difficulties of balancing motherhood and sport without support. There is a lack of postpartum training guidelines among national and international sporting bodies, and lack of funding to support athlete mothers. The expectation that they have to be able to “do it all” can make any mother feel inadequate. Canadian freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe recently spoke about the pressure this narrative places on athlete mothers: “When I got pregnant, I kind of was just like ‘that’s all, I’m done.’ At the time in my mind, there was just no way that [a return to competition] was going to work. I was like, ‘I can’t do that. I’m not a superhero.'” Kenyan Olympic track athlete Faith Kipyegon revealed health issues and fears she had when coming back to sport. Kipyegon managed to train until she was about five months pregnant, but the delivery was traumatic. She needed an emergency C-section to deliver her daughter. “I was so afraid, [thinking], ‘Maybe I will not come back, I will just disappear,'” she said. These examples showcase the realities elite athlete mothers continue to face. Sports journalist Shireen Ahmed has written about how it is unreasonable to expect athlete mothers to be superwomen: “Yes, that is unrealistic, but sometimes that is what we are faced with. It doesn’t always manifest gracefully, but there it is.” Ahmed’s reporting of athlete mothers’ stories is groundbreaking, as she celebrates their athleticism while exposing some of the challenges they face. While elite women athletes are applauded for their experience and success, they can also face a motherhood penalty in the form of reduced career expectations and support. Despite having experience or previous success, media stories often represent these athletes as exceptions who come back to their careers against all odds. This may reflect veteran athletes navigating an underestimated, but successful, postpartum comeback with less resources. When older athlete mothers do succeed, there is sometimes a shock and surprise narrative in media coverage. This narrative may reinforce stereotypes that motherhood ends fitness and competitive sporting goals. Veteran Canadian Olympian Malindi Elmore’s marathon running performance qualified her for the 2020 Olympics, despite her age and her retirement from 1500 m running 17 years earlier. Last September, Elmore set a personal best in the marathon to qualify for Paris 2024 at 43, showing that continued career success as a mother is possible. Changing the way these comeback stories are discussed can reduce pressure for veteran athlete mothers coming back to sport. The themes from our research shows that media stories of motherhood and sport are shifting to celebrate women’s sport careers. Media stories that reflect the realities of athlete motherhood and more diverse athlete mothers are needed. There should also be more coverage of racialized and LGBTQ+ mothers and athlete mothers with disabilities. Such coverage would reveal their shared and unique challenges and triumphs, and would offer a more fulsome portrayal of athlete motherhood. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Citation: This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
Athlete mothers
Super moms
A motherhood penalty
What next?
Changing the narrative about athlete mothers’ comeback stories (2024, December 24)
retrieved 24 December 2024
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-narrative-athlete-mothers-comeback-stories.html
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
