Representation of young sportswomen in cinema: From male domination to female devaluation

Based on the study of a corpus of 24 sports fiction films featuring a young woman as the central character, this article examines female representation in this cinematic genre—a genre which, historically, has often sidelined women. In particular, it examines how these films contribute to the maintenance of male domination. On the one hand, the study highlights how these works reinforce patriarchy, by regularly placing sportswomen under the authority of a dominant, often decision-making male. On the other hand, it also highlights the recurrent valorization of the father figure, in contrast to a mother figure frequently denigrated or presented as regressive.