Using a Bourdieuian approach, the main argument of this thesis is that men and women develop an embodied racing habitus that is shaped by their access to economic, social, cultural and physical capitals. This determines how much power, influence and recognition they enjoy, and positions them differently within the class and gender hierarchy of the racing field. The thesis begins with a historical and contemporary analysis of the racing field and apprenticeships as a model of learning, showing how power was held in the hands of the Jockey Club, once the sole ruling body of racing, from the mid 18th century. It governed the racing field through class privilege and through its members having access to certain forms of economic, social and cultural capital. The entry of women into the racing field began in the 1960s when women with suitable economic and cultural capital gained the right to train as racehorse trainers. Working-class men were already part of the employment hierarchy, as indentured apprentices, and it was due, in part, to a shortage of small 'boys' that working-class women were taken on as stable 'lads' or 'girls'. The equalities legislation of the 1970s meant women could be members of racing's workforce as well as gaining the right to hold jockey's licences. The process of learning to become a stable 'lad' takes place 'on the job', through practice; this means that women become accepted as workers as long as they act 'like one of the lads' and embody a certain form of masculinity. Indentured apprenticeship was abolished in 1976 and replaced by a system of modern apprenticeship. This has gone along with a change in the significance of physical capital, an increase in the division of labour, and an increased reliance on migrant workers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:549826 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Butler, Deborah Ann |
| Publisher | University of Warwick |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/45021/ |
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