Biographical Projects of Women in Non-Olympic Strength Sports

To date, the sporting space has become more open and gender-neutral so that women can participate in almost all sports. However, there are still a large number of sports in which there is no access to women or it is not socially accepted. The aim of this study was to examine the biographical projects of women who are doing powerlifting, a kind of sport which is conventionally meant as a male one. The paper covers the questions of how the girls are starting to do powerlifting, what factors influence the choice of this sport and what challenges do they meet. Empirical base for the analysis was composed from 16 in-depth biographical interviews with women having experience in participating in competitions. The analysis of the material has showed that powerlifting for women is the opportunity to do the sports and is seen as a hobby, which has a positive impact on their health, self-perception, and efficiency.