Women's Sport in Portugal from 1974 (the ‘Carnation Revolution’) to 2000

Abstract

The transition from the ‘New State’ regime in Portugal (which lasted approximately 40 years) to the democratic period brought important changes to women's lives. Women began to enter university courses traditionally considered masculine ones, entered the labour market in greater numbers, entered professional careers that once had been closed to them, became more involved in women's groups fighting for changes in their situation and began to be more involved in the political life of the country. The legal and social changes that occurred in relation to women, as well as the sports policies that were followed after the revolution, contributed to a faster increase in the numbers of women taking part in sport generally, and also in traditionally male-appropriate sports. However, this does not mean that women did not face any resistance. This paper seeks to examine women's participation in sport and the resistance they faced in relation to their participation in certain sports.