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Sweeping Is Men’s Work. A Critical Interpretive Investigation of an Australian Surf Life Saving Culture.
Brennen Shaw, Department of Anthropology and Sociology , UQ
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This paper focuses on how gender has been "done" in the Australian Surf Life Saving Association (SLSA) since the organisation was founded almost a century ago. The SLSA was primarily a male homosocial organisation from its inception until 1979, when it finally allowed females to become active members. Despite 30 years of female involvement, the SLSA is still a key (albeit uneven and contested) site for the reproduction of what Connell terms "hegemonic masculinity" and "emphasised femininity".
The paper will describe and provide examples from the competitive arm of the organization as to the strategies employed by the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia (SLSA of A) to ensure the subordination of women. It will also describe and provide examples of masculinizing practices that are condoned (both officially and unofficially) by the male hierarchy of the SLSA of A to ensure the perpetuation of male dominance.
