WOMEN ATHLETES IN BRAZILIAN PHYSICAL EDUCATION MANUALS

Abstract Athletes are icons of sport, as they are considered models to be imitated by society in general, specifically by students. The objective of this study was to verify whether the imagery references of professional athletes represented in physical education textbooks in elementary school I and II in Brazil perpetuate male sports models, or, on the contrary, make visible female sports models. We used a descriptive and comparative methodology by publishers, and, as a research technique, content analysis. The results show the predominance of the male sports model in the images. Therefore, it is necessary that publishers review these teaching materials to increase female representation and begin offering female sports role models to students.