How adolescents experience the rhythmic gymnastics community in the Oslo region: Identity and relative poverty

This master’s thesis aims to obtain an in-depth understanding of adolescents’ experience in the rhythmic gymnastics community in the Oslo region, with a specific focus on their identities and to what extent, if any, they experience relative poverty. To date, research on the rhythmic gymnastics community, within a hermeneutical paradigm, appears to be minimal and this project hopes to contribute to filling this gap. The project is based on previous research from various fields and uses insights from theorists such as Zygmunt Bauman and Anthony Giddens and also takes into account my own experience from within the community. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants were all female adolescents, with varying levels of performance, time spent in the sport and most trained approximately 12 to 15 hours per week. Through the analysis and interpretation of the generated data I found that they all identified as a gymnast at some point in their career, and the sport seemed to be an important part of their lives. Relative poverty did not appear to be a direct issue, however, consumption, brand awareness and comparing items were seemingly a pronounced feature in the community.