ABSTRACT
Motherhood marks a transition in many women's lives when sports participation decreases due to child rearing responsibilities and “good motherhood ideals.” However, female athletes, at all levels, have also shown that motherhood is not incompatible with sport participation. In some instances, athletes have achieved their best sporting performances after childbirth. Qualitative researchers have shown that studying mothers’ engagement in sport has the potential to expand our understanding of the complexity and cultural discourses, norms, and practices surrounding contemporary motherhood. This chapter provides an overview of the proliferation of research concerning motherhood, before contextualizing qualitative research on motherhood in sports cultures. In so doing, we foreground the perspectives and core research theme of sport and motherhood that will follow in each of the chapters. The impetus, structure, and goals for the book are also outlined.
