Summarize the process of gender socialization and identify specific ways in which sports contribute to the process

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Children spend more than half of their non-school time in play and games, but the type of games may differ depending on the child's sex. Studies indicate that boys are socialized to participate in highly competitive, rule-oriented games with a larger number of participants that games played by girls. Girls typically are socialized to play with other girls in groups of two or three, in activities such as hopscotch and jump rope that involve a minimum of competitiveness. Research shows that boys express more favorable attitudes toward games and sports that involve physical exertion and competition than girls do. For males, competitive sport becomes a means of "constructing a masculine identity, a legitimated outlet for violence and aggression, and an avenue for upward mobility." For females, being an athlete and a woman may constitute contradictory statuses. Since passage in 1972 of Title IX, which mandates equal opportunities in academic and athletic programs for females? girls' and young women's participation in athletics has increased substantially. Most sports are rigidly divided into female and male events, and funding of athletic programs is often unevenly divided between men's and women's programs. Much remains to be done to bring about greater gender equity in the arena of sports.

One such area is how the media report on women's and men's sporting events and the attributes that they

highlight regarding female competitors while they emphasize the athletic skills of male competitors. ng:.1pt'>with partners, health-related concerns, and lack of readiness or ability to care for a child.