Motherhood or Medals: Reproductive Labour, Institutional Absence, and
Gendered Inequality in Indian Sport

Lachem Mendarawa Dorjey

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.003

Title: Motherhood or Medals: Reproductive Labour, Institutional Absence, and Gendered Inequality in Indian Sport
Authors: Lachem Mendarawa Dorjey
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 8 Publication Date: August 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.003
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Lachem Mendarawa Dorjey
MLA 8 Dorjey, Lachem Mendarawa. "Motherhood or Medals: Reproductive Labour, Institutional Absence, and Gendered Inequality in Indian Sport." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 8, Aug. 2026, pp. 3659-3664, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.003. Accessed Aug. 2026. APA 6 Dorjey, L. (2026, August). Motherhood or Medals: Reproductive Labour, Institutional Absence, and Gendered Inequality in Indian Sport. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(8), 3659-3664. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.003 Chicago Dorjey, Lachem Mendarawa. "Motherhood or Medals: Reproductive Labour, Institutional Absence, and Gendered Inequality in Indian Sport." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 8 (August 2026), 3659-3664. Accessed August, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.003.
References [1] . The Quint. “Motherhood or Medals: Why Doesn’t Indian Sports Have a Maternity Policy?” [2] . The Quint. “Why Doesn’t Indian Sports Have Maternity Benefits for Female Athletes?” [3] . The Quint. “Motherhood or Medals: Tababi Devi Quit Judo But Had No Comeback Path.” [4] . The Quint. “Dipika Pallikal’s Motherhood Journey: Struggle with Infertility and Return to Sport.” [5] . Federici, Silvia. Wages Against Housework. [6] . Fraser, Nancy. Fortunes of Feminism. [7] . Connell, R.W. Gender and Power. [8] . Hochschild, Arlie. The Second Shift.
ABSTRACT: This paper examines the structural exclusion of maternity rights within Indian sport through the experiences of elite women athletes navigating pregnancy, infertility, childbirth, and post-partum return to competition. Drawing upon contemporary media narratives surrounding Indian sportswomen, including Thangjam Tababi Devi and Dipika Pallikal Karthik, the paper argues that Indian sporting institutions continue to operate through masculinised assumptions of uninterrupted athletic labour. While international sporting systems increasingly recognise maternity protections as essential to athlete welfare, Indian sports governance remains largely devoid of formalised maternity frameworks, comeback pathways, ranking protection systems, or childcare support mechanisms. Consequently, motherhood becomes institutionally constructed as career disruption rather than a legitimate dimension of women athletes’ lives. Situating these narratives within broader feminist theories of reproductive labour and gendered citizenship, this paper argues that the absence of maternity protections in Indian sport reflects deeper patriarchal structures embedded within labour, policy, and national sporting culture.

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