Circus aerialism as gendered labour

Bibliographic Data

ID24230359
AuthorsKevin Walby (0000-0002-5107-2309, Criminal Justice, University of Winnipeg), Shawn Stuart (0000-0002-0390-9928, Criminal Justice, University of Winnipeg)
Year2026
Pages1-16
Publication date2026-09-16
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCulture Sport Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-0981 • E-ISSN: 1743-0445
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17430437.2026.2728004
OpenAlexW7213345125
LanguageEN
References cited58

Circus aerialism is a unique form of physical work and gender performance, sharing similar physical demands with sport. Drawing on interviews with 31 circus aerialists in Canada, we seek to understand the relationship between gendered labour and circus aerialism. Despite opportunity for strategic navigating of gender roles and gender manoeuvring, it appears that roles made available for women in circus aerialism continue to be linked to the reductionist archetypes of womanhood: the sexy, dangerous woman or the pretty woman. Our respondents reported feeling liberated to explore gender, while constrained by gender scripts. We argue that the aerialist’s performance is a site of profitability, a dynamic that can both challenge and reproduce gender scripts dep­ending on gendered cultural context. Our findings contribute to sociologies of gender and gendered labour by revealing the role of gender scripts and their negotiation in this gruelling form of work.

gender performance · gender roles · gender scripts · gendered labor · physical work · Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies · Gender and Feminist Studies · Sports, Gender, and Society

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