Sport and gender

"Male" and "female" sports, stereotypes, gendered socialisation and transgression: how sport makes and unmakes gender.

The outline, topic by topic

Each topic is weighted the way the exam weighs it.

Gender: what is it?
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The social construction of differences between women and men, distinct from biological sex.
It explains why some sports are called masculine or feminine.
A boy quits dance after teasing at school. Which mechanism is at work?
- The social sanction of a gender transgression
- The distinction of a privileged social milieu
- The quest for stronger excitement elsewhere
- Self-restraint learned through practice
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The social sanction of a gender transgression
Peers enforce gender norms.
Gendering of practices: what is it?
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The unequal distribution of women and men across sports.
Dance and gymnastics heavily female, rugby and football heavily male.
Why speak of gender and not only sex in sport?
- Sports rules are the same for both sexes
- Participation gaps come mostly from social norms, not biology
- Federations assign each sport to one sex
- Performance gaps come only from training
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Participation gaps come mostly from social norms, not biology
Biology weighs on performance; the choice of a sport depends mostly on learned norms.
Gender stereotype: what is it?
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A simplifying belief about what women and men are or should do.
It shapes children's choices from an early age.