Chapter 4: Professional Women's Football in Norway – A Field of Empowerment and Discrimination

This chapter aims to discuss the development within Norwegian football which has led to professionalisation of women's football in the country. In considering the professionalisation of women's football in Norway, the chapter is organised as follows. First, the theoretical framework with central concepts from Bourdieu's theory and the ‘Sport/Media Complex’ are introduced. Second, the international development of women's football and milestones with relevance are introduced. Third, an empirical investigation into the professionalisation of women's football is presented. Finally, the four phases of the development of women's football in Norway are presented and discussed, with a link to broader international development, before concluding on what this means for women's football in Norway.