Women's and Men's Sports?

The Discussion of Gendered Sports in the Finnish Press during the Olympic Years 1952–1988

Abstract

A gendered attitude towards women's competitive sports persisted in Finland until the late 20th century. Although  the importance of sporting success for national pride was acknowledged, the successes had been overwhelmingly a male achievement. In this article, I explore the Finnish discussion of the gendered character of sport during the Olympic years from 1952 to 1988. The sources consist of eight newspapers and three periodicals, from which three main themes emerged. The first was the demand for aesthetic movement for women, rooted in the tradition of gymnastics. The second  was doping, which was condemned particularly strongly in the case of female athletes. The third theme, equality, picked up speed in the 1970s, aided by the broader societal trend of democratization.