Motherhood and Sexuality in Women’s Football News: Effects on Interest in the Article, Engagement, and Perception of the Player

[EN] Women’s football has gained popularity and appreciation in the last few years. At the same time, sexual diversity and maternity in sport have become part of the global conversation. To investigate the influence of players’ motherhood and sexuality in the context of news, a 2 (sexuality) × 2 (mo...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rodríguez de Dios, Isabel, González de Garay Domínguez, Beatriz
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/164507
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/164507
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palabra clave:Lesbianism
Maternidad
Deportistas
Períodico
Experimento
Motherhood
Women
Football
News
6306.07 Sociología de Los Medios de Comunicación de Masas
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Women’s football has gained popularity and appreciation in the last few years. At the same time, sexual diversity and maternity in sport have become part of the global conversation. To investigate the influence of players’ motherhood and sexuality in the context of news, a 2 (sexuality) × 2 (motherhood status) between-subjects online experiment (N = 395) was conducted. The research examined the impact on interest in the news article, women’s football engagement, perception of the footballer (i.e., expected performance, impression, and perceived commitment), and attitudes toward lesbian athletes. Results show that featuring the footballer as a mother increased interest in the article. However, the maternity status had a negative impact only on the perception of the lesbian footballer, who was expected to show lower performance compared with her counterparts. These findings may help journalists and community managers to understand the impact and the ethical implications of their work.