Sociocultural Influences on Greek Women's Involvement in Physical Recreation

Abstract

This article is concerned with the under-representation and inequality that Greek women experience in the field of sport and physical recreation. The problem is addressed by examining the various sociolcultural parameters that influence Greek women's life style and especially their influences on women's involvement in sports and physical recreation. First, women's historical background and their present position in Greek society are examined. Second, the nature of their involvement in sports and physical recreation is also examined. It is stressed that women's life style has been heavily affected by the existing cultural symbolic system and by other parameters such as place of residence, education, and employment. Since sports and physical recreation have always been integrally related to the specific sociocultural conditions of a society, the above parameters seem also to affect women's sport involvement. The paper suggests, therefore, that a meaningful examination of sports involvement processes entails the serious consideration of the social and cultural context in which women and sport exist.