“Men fall like boiled eggs. Women fall like raw eggs” Civilised female bodies and gender relations in British National Hunt Racing

Velija, Philippa. “Men fall like boiled eggs. Women fall like raw eggs” Civilised female bodies and gender relations in British National Hunt Racing. International Review for Sociology of Sport ,

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the research on the gendered nature of equestrian sports and discuss how power relations continue to position females on the margins of National Hunt Racing. In the UK National Hunt Racing is the most male dominated form of racing; at the time of writing, 100 males hold a professional jockey licence, compared to just 4 females (The Professional Jockeys Association, 2015). In this paper we draw on figurational sociology, specifically the concepts of the civilised body, interdependence and habitus to offer a critical analysis of the gendered experiences of 8 amateur and professional female jockeys. The experiences of female jockeys cannot be understood without considering the networks of interdependencies with trainers, owners, male jockeys, breeders, and the wider racing industry. We consider how early involvement in the figuration through family ties supports the development of a gendered racing habitus which influences the social identities of female jockeys who normalise the limitations of female jockeys. Civilised female bodies are positioned in the figuration as weaker than males and needing protection from potentially risky horses. We argue that safe horses are chosen by trainers and owners and this limits the opportunity and number of rides for female jockeys and these (gendered) decisions obscure issues of power that enable male jockeys to dominate in the National Hunt figuration.

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