Breaking the Stereotypes: Exploring Traits of Female Athletes
type: CreativeWork
description: Despite the growing acceptance of women's sports and the increasing number of women and girls who are participating in sports, a number of negative stereotypes still exist concerning female athletes. Because the competitive, masculine nature of sports has been viewed as the antithesis of femininity, women who have actively participated in sports have often been stigmatized as "masculine" (Anthrop & Allison, 1983; Snyder & Kivlin, 1977). Past research has determined that female athletes do tend to possess more masculine personality traits than their non-athletic counterparts (Andre & Holland, 1995; Houseworth, Peplow, & Thirer, 1989; Marsh & Jackson, 1986; Myers & Lips, 1978). These ideas have led to research (Desertrain & Weiss, 1998; Sage & Loudermilk, 1979) examining the concept that female athletes often experience role conflict between their dual (and supposedly contradicting) roles of woman and athlete. The current study looks at the relationship between athletic participation and personality traits, gender role identification and role conflict between roles as female and athlete among young women. Additionally, it focuses on participation in individual, recreational sports including mountain biking, rock climbing, snow boarding, surfing, and wind surfing. Participants are 108 female athletes and non-athletes between the ages of 18 and 30. All participants were administered a questionnaire packet containing a demographic data sheet, the Extended Personal Attributes Questionnaire (EPAQ) (Spence, Helmreich & Holahan, 1979), and the Athletic Sex Role Conflict Inventory (ASRCI) (Sage & Loudermilk, 1979). The results indicate that female athletes and non-athletes did not differ significantly in their identification with desirable feminine traits. However, non-athletes appear to identify more strongly with non-desirable feminine traits than did athletes in this study. Additionally, female athletes in this study report significantly greater identification with desirab…
abstract: Despite the growing acceptance of women's sports and the increasing number of women and girls who are participating in sports, a number of negative stereotypes still exist concerning female athletes. Because the competitive, masculine nature of sports has been viewed as the antithesis of femininity, women who have actively participated in sports have often been stigmatized as "masculine" (Anthrop & Allison, 1983; Snyder & Kivlin, 1977). Past research has determined that female athletes do tend to possess more masculine personality traits than their non-athletic counterparts (Andre & Holland, 1995; Houseworth, Peplow, & Thirer, 1989; Marsh & Jackson, 1986; Myers & Lips, 1978). These ideas have led to research (Desertrain & Weiss, 1998; Sage & Loudermilk, 1979) examining the concept that female athletes often experience role conflict between their dual (and supposedly contradicting) roles of woman and athlete. The current study looks at the relationship between athletic participation and personality traits, gender role identification and role conflict between roles as female and athlete among young women. Additionally, it focuses on participation in individual, recreational sports including mountain biking, rock climbing, snow boarding, surfing, and wind surfing. Participants are 108 female athletes and non-athletes between the ages of 18 and 30. All participants were administered a questionnaire packet containing a demographic data sheet, the Extended Personal Attributes Questionnaire (EPAQ) (Spence, Helmreich & Holahan, 1979), and the Athletic Sex Role Conflict Inventory (ASRCI) (Sage & Loudermilk, 1979). The results indicate that female athletes and non-athletes did not differ significantly in their identification with desirable feminine traits. However, non-athletes appear to identify more strongly with non-desirable feminine traits than did athletes in this study. Additionally, female athletes in this study report significantly greater identification with desirab…
author: Warda, Carrie Magan
language: English
keywords: Psychology, Sports Studies, Women's Studies, Stereotype (Psychology); Women -- Psychology; Sports -- Psychological aspects.
date published: 2003-09-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:53:31Z
provider: Loma Linda University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Loma Linda University