Identification with the women’s national soccer in Germany: do gender role orientations matter?

Abstract

ABSTRACTResearch presented here explores the relationship between (changing) gender role attitudes and identification with the national women’s soccer team in a German context. In contrast to U.S. American results, street survey data conducted in Germany during the women’s soccer World Cup suggest that people holding more conservative gender role orientations identify stronger with the women’s soccer team. Moreover, team identification with the women’s team is much lower than with the men’s team and does not respond to team success suggesting that women’s soccer still targets a dedicated core audience. As women continue to identify less with female athletes and teams, important questions concerning the relationship between sex, gender roles and interest in women’s sport are raised. Perspectives for future research are suggested.