Gender and Weight among Thoroughbred Jockeys: Underrepresented Women and Underweight Men:

Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World

Paul T.von Hippel¹ 

关键词: eating disorders;    gender discrimination;    sociology of sport;   

DOI  :  10.1177/2378023117712599

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

Discrimination can damage health by limiting an occupation to persons who are physically unsuited to it. In thoroughbred racing, male jockeys damage their health to reach racing weights, while women who could reach those weights more easily are excluded. The authors estimate the number of U.S. men and women who are light enough to work as jockeys and contrast them with the number of male and female jockeys. The authors contrast the distribution of body mass index in the general population and among top jockeys. Male jockeys outnumber female jockeys by 7 to 1, and by 50 to 1 in top races, and these numbers have not declined since the 1990s. Yet among adults who are light enough to work as jockeys, women outnumber men by at least 7 to 1, and women are half as likely to be underweight. Jockeys’ health and performance might improve if barriers to women were lowered.

【 授权许可】

CC BY