Girl Fight: Apologetic Behaviors among Female Mixed Martial Arts Fighters as a Reaction to Social Stigmatization, Stereotyping, and Labeling of Sports Participation Janet Martin Department of Sociology

My name is Janet Martin. I am an undergraduate of Sociology at Warren Wilson College. I am conducting research to fulfill the requirements for my Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology under the supervision of Dr. Laura Vance. I have been training in Taekwondo and Muay Thai for almost a year with a goal of competing in women’s MMA. I have chosen the experiences of female MMA fighters as my research topic because it is a topic of personal interest. I believe that though you may not personally benefit from your participation in this research, your participation will help make an impact on gender stereotypes in sports within society.

Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. Please read the information below and email questions to jlmartin@warren-wilson.edu or lvance@warren-wilson.edu about anything you do not understand before deciding whether or not to participate in this study.

If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to:

All responses to this questionnaire will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as required by law. Confidentiality will be maintained by means of a secured, firewalled website, with access to online results only available to the researcher (Janet Martin) and supervisor (Dr. Laura Vance). The online results will be backed up on a password protected laptop and external memory device, which, along with any paper copies of results will be safely secured in a locked, fire-proof safe at the home office of the researcher. All research materials will be destroyed when the research project is concluded.

Results of the questionnaire will be complied and utilized in the research project as collective data. If individual results are cited they will be referenced by a pseudonym and no answer will be able to be directly linked to identifying information.

Some of the questions may make you feel uncomfortable. You have the right not answer any particular question, and may stop answering the questionnaire at any time. You can choose whether or not to be in this study. If you volunteer to be in this study, you may withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind.

The Warren Wilson College Review Board has reviewed and approved my request to conduct this project. If you have any concerns about your rights as a participant in this study, please contact Dr. Laura Vance, Warren Wilson College, phone: 828-771-5851.

I understand the procedures described above. My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to voluntarily participate in this study.

Name_____________________ Date ______________________

Appendix B: Questionnaire Instrument

Girl Fight: www.womensmmaresearch.com

My name is Janet Martin. I am an undergraduate of Sociology at Warren Wilson College. I am conducting research to fulfill the requirements for my Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology under the supervision of Dr. Laura Vance. I have been training in Taekwondo and Muay Thai for almost a year with a goal of competing in women’s MMA. I have chosen the experiences of female MMA fighters as my research topic because it is a topic of personal interest. I believe that though you may not personally benefit from your participation in this research, your participation will help make an impact on gender stereotypes in sports within society.

Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. Please read the information below and email questions to jlmartin@warren-wilson.edu or lvance@warren-wilson.edu about anything you do not understand before deciding whether or not to participate in this study.

If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to:

All responses to this questionnaire will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as required by law. Confidentiality will be maintained by means of a secured, firewalled website, with access to online results only available to the researcher (Janet Martin) and supervisor (Dr. Laura Vance). The online results will be backed up on a password protected laptop and external memory device, which, along with any paper copies of results will be safely secured in a locked, fire-proof safe at the home office of the researcher. All research materials will be destroyed when the research project is concluded.

Results of the questionnaire will be complied and utilized in the research project as collective data. If individual results are cited they will be referenced by a pseudonym and no answer will be able to be directly linked to identifying information.

Some of the questions may make you feel uncomfortable. You have the right not answer any particular question, and may stop answering the questionnaire at any time. You can choose whether or not to be in this study. If you volunteer to be in this study, you may withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind.

The Warren Wilson College Review Board has reviewed and approved my request to conduct this project. If you have any concerns about your rights as a participant in this study, please contact Dr. Laura Vance, Warren Wilson College, phone: 828-771-5851.

I understand the procedures described above. My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to voluntarily participate in this study.

Thank you very much for agreeing to complete the questionnaire. The results of this research project will help me understand the experiences of female athletes.

Some of the questions on this survey may make you feel uncomfortable. You have the right not to answer any question, or stop answering the questionnaire at any time. If you have any comments about the questionnaire, a response section is included at the end of the questionnaire for comments.

1. Name:

Please write your answer here:

 

2. Would you be willing to answer follow-up questions after you have completed the survey?

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Yes
  
• 
  No
  

Enter your Phone/Email:

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  18-25 years
  
• 
  26-35 years
  
• 
  36-45 years
  
• 
  46-55 years
  
• 
  56+ years
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Male
  
• 
  Female
  
• 
  Transgender
  
• 
  Other
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Yes
  
• 
  No
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Less than one year
  
• 
  1-3 years
  
• 
  4-7 years
  
• 
  8+ years
  

Please respond to these statements in the text boxes provided:

Please write your answer here:

 

9. Name any positive stereotypes of female athletes that exist.

Please write your answer here:

 

Related to Sports and Competition

Read the following paragraph about gender and sports questions, then respond to the following statements:

Female athletes who play some sports are stereotyped by many outsiders as masculine or lesbian. Of course, female athletes have personalities and body types that range from very feminine to very masculine, and everything in between. Also, female athletes are mostly heterosexual, but also include bisexuals and homosexuals. Research indicates that stereotypes by outsiders can create lots of pressures on female athletes and may result in discrimination. This questionnaire is designed to examine some possible ways that female athletes respond to these pressures.

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please write your answer here:

 

14. I avoid physical contact (non-sport related) with other females

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please write your answer here:

 

19. I do not play as hard as I can against males in sports.

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please write your answer here:

 

24. My opponents refer to me as a pussy, bitch or with other negative female labels.

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always
  

Please write your answer here:

 

30. I downplay my ability in the sport when asked about my participation by men.

Please choose only one of the following:

• 
  Never
  
• 
  Occasionally
  
• 
  Sometimes
  
• 
  Often
  
• 
  Always