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Helen Porter Research Institute of Latin American Studies/ School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Map of Nicaragua Abstract THE UNIVERSITY of LIVERPOOL.

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Presentation on theme: "Helen Porter Research Institute of Latin American Studies/ School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Map of Nicaragua Abstract THE UNIVERSITY of LIVERPOOL."— Presentation transcript:

1 Helen Porter Research Institute of Latin American Studies/ School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Map of Nicaragua Abstract THE UNIVERSITY of LIVERPOOL The pleasure of leisure for young women footballer’s in Leon, Nicaragua: From participation to empowerment? The Sandinista revolution attempted a large-scale social transformation aimed at increasing access to education, health and social services as well as improving employment opportunities for the poor and working class of Nicaragua. This thesis looks at the situation for the grand-daughters of the revolution in the context of having grown up through almost 20 years of neoliberal reforms. Focussing on the lives of young women footballers in the metropolitan city of Leon, this thesis will explore how sport can provide a public space for participation for young women that can possibly transcend traditional female roles in Nicaragua. Themes of greater participation in civil society organisations and the assumed personal empowerment as a consequence of participation have long been promoted in the development community and more instrumentally by international funding. However, the role of leisure activities generally and sports teams particularly as possible organisms of empowerment for young people has not been greatly explored despite composing a much larger proportion of participants than other civil society sectors. This thesis therefore aims to illuminate how young women’s participation in sports can offer new opportunities, conflicts and challenges in young women’s lives. The team: CUUN Leon Why young people?  Nicaragua has one of the youngest populations in the world.  Also young and high pregnancy rate  High unemployment, high school drop- out rate, large proportion of population living below the poverty line.  Rising levels of violence.  Theory: development Why Nicaragua?  Country with previously strong civil society weakened by neo-liberal policies.  Strong influence of IMF and World Bank on government policy makes it an interesting case to analyse the economic influence of this type of development policy and its’ effects on young women.  Economic dependence on development aid. Main research questions: What is the role of sport in young women’s lives in Nicaragua? Who participates in what and why? What is the legacy of revolution followed by nearly 20 years of neo-liberalism for the grand-daughters of the revolution? To what extent does the young women’s participation result in empowerment? What is the nature of this empowerment and how can we measure it? Why sport?  High participation rates among young people, however predominantly men.  Perhaps one of the few areas of public life where women in Nicaraguan society can pursue an activity precisely for their own enjoyment.  As a development project how can sport empower young people?  Theory: Sociology of leisure Overview of case study The case study for this thesis is La Primer Division de Futbol Feminino de Nicaragua (the women’s football first division of Nicaragua) and specifically the players on one of the participating teams: CUUN Leon Women’s Football Team, the public University football team in Leon, Nicaragua. Leon is the second largest city in Nicaragua after the capital Managua. The economy of the city is based largely on the commerce created by the influx of students to the six Universities in the city, the large assembly plants (which mainly employ women) looming on the outskirts of the city and the agricultural trade through the cities markets. The players on the team were aged between 15 and 28, with an average age of around 20. The team itself was set-up 9 years ago and the majority of the research gathered concentrates on those players who have been at the club for the longest time. Why young women? Large number of female headed households The double burden for women Employment prospects especially dominance of females in maquilas Dominance of machismo in Nicaraguan society Theory: youth and gender Methodology  13 months fieldwork carried out over 3 years between 2006 and 2008  Participant observation was the principle research method  Open-ended interviews  Content analysis  Primary data  Secondary data Preliminary Findings: The players participation creates conflicts with some family members especially concerning finance and education. Almost all the players report experiencing negative reactions to their participation. Participation in the team does create greater social capital for some of the players.

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