Exploring women’s engagement in leisure sport participation: the influence of serious leisure in Basque pelota

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the meanings that underlie women’s participation in and commitment to leisure-time sport related to Basque pelota. Thirty-eight women between 22 and 60 years old participated in this ethnographic study, which conducted 21 semi-structured interviews. The theoretical framework used for the analysis was informed by a feminist approach and the Serious Leisure Perspective. A hybrid approach, deductive-inductive coding was employed. The data analysis revealed that recreational and competitive female athletes had different levels of engagement and attributed different meanings to their sport practice depending on their form of participation, their commitment, and the lifestyle built around it. It is concluded that the seriousness with which the activities are carried out influences the sport involvement of female Basque pelota players, which should be taken into account to adapt the activities and make an offer related to the characteristics of each pelotari type’s context.