Psychological gender of women taking up typically masculine sports activity

Abstract

SummaryStudy aim: To examine which gender scheme is used by women who take up stereotypically masculine sports activity and to obtain an answer to the question of whether these subjects achieve higher results on the masculinity scale and lower results in femininity than women who practise other sports and women who do not take up any sports activity. Do women who practise masculine sports achieve a higher sports class and self-evaluate their results better if they identify with a masculine image? Material and methods: 90 women participated in the research: 30 sportswomen who practise masculine sports (judo, boxing, wrestling); 30 women training in gymnastics, swimming and basketball; and 30 women not taking up any sports activity. The research utilized the inventory of psychological gender assessment (IPP) by Kuczynska and a questionnaire prepared by the author. Results: The analysis of the results revealed that individuals taking up sports activity are to a large extent androgynic, while as far as masculine sports are concerned, a masculine gender scheme dominates. Women practising masculine sports gain significantly higher masculinity indices and lower femininity indices when compared to the remaining subjects. Simultaneously it was not proved whether individuals with a higher intensity of masculinity achieved a higher sports class or whether they self-evaluated their sports skills better. Conclusions: Women that take part in sport activities considered by society as masculine, identify themselves with masculine and androgynic gender schema.

Psychological gender among women involved in different forms of group physical activity

“…This dependence seems particularly important in relation to disciplines typically considered masculine, such as soccer, boxing, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, or combat sports. Studies confirm that women who practice sports typical for men more often possess androgynous and masculine psychological features than feminine or undetermined [10]. Our study revealed that women who practice yoga are more often characterized by feminine features compared to women taking part in other kinds of group physical activities, where androgynous gender predominates.…”

“…The research by Pacut [19] demonstrated that the majority of female soccer players (considered a masculine sport) were androgynous, while in a group of women practicing synchronous swimming and gymnastics (typically a feminine sport) the majority were psychologically feminine. Moreover, Burdzicka-Wołowik [10] showed that androgynous women predominate among women who train gymnastics, swimming, or basketball. Starzomska and Kowalczyk [20] revealed that androgynous women are especially interested in sport, regardless of the discipline.…”

“…Analysis of scientific publications from Pubmed and other databases from the years 2006-2016 indicates that the topic of the relationship between psychological gender and sports has not been very broadly explored. Very few studies have been found in that area [9,10,11,12] concerning the relationship between psychological gender and the practice of various sports disciplines. A broad review of scientific publications from the past 20 years has showed that data on the association of psychological gender and practicing yoga are lacking.…”

Too masculine for healthcare, too feminine for intense sports: correlation between gender conformity and pro-health behaviours

“…Research by Burdzicka-Wołowik [72] suggests that there is the least amount of androgynous women among those who do not do any sports and the most among those who practice sports. The same is the case for cross-sex typed women.…”

Definition of Gender Identity in Younger Age Groups of Women's Boxing

“…Scientist researched studied 60 post-puberty girls in sports: boxing, judo, wrestling, gymnastics, basketball determined the dominance of the androgen type [5,6].…”