The word gender is a social construction used to allocate a group of acceptable actions to both sexes. Some of the most convincing labels are associated to sports (Coackley, 1998). There is also a belief that there are certain sports that are suitable and unsuitable for females and males. Studies have discovered that sports like gymnastics and dance that highlight beauty and elegance are frequently considered “feminine” while sports like football and hockey that contain components of violence and aggression are thought as “masculine” (Humana, 2016). These beliefs are imbedded in social ideologies in society telling us what we should be doing instead of what we can do. Biologically, there is no explanation to why females can not play hockey
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Thus, parents who are supportive and introduce important beliefs in regards to physical activity can provide a life long effect on their children. The degree to which children participate in sports varies depending on the type of involvement parents have (Coackley, 1998). For most parents this includes driving their child to and from practices and competitions, spending money on membership or travel fees, and making sure that the child has the appropriate equipment and attire (Humana, 2016). Children from the lower income households were less likely to participate in sports than children from households with high income (Coackley, 1998). Moving to a new country and being part of a working class family at a young age, more specifically 9-11 years old, financial limitations had an important influence on the sport participation patterns for myself and one of my friends because access to resources, equipment and attires was very limited, where as my other friend had the opportunity to join hockey league team at a very young age. Having said this, my friend and I still had opportunities to participate in school activities/sports even though it was not at a highly competitive or “professional” …show more content…
Both of my friends made specific references to elementary school related experiences when they were talking about current attitude towards sports. Although all three of us had many positive experiences and memories, it was the negative experience that differentiated myself from my two friends. Despite their negative experience that did not stop them from participating in organized sports, whereas my negative experience affected my interest in organized sports. These negative memories revolved around the lack of opportunities and lack of care from the coaches/teachers. It seemed that in school, the sport activities were organized in ways that fit more closely with the boy’s interests and skills (Humana, 2016). It is often difficult to change these male-dominant patterns because they are deeply rooted in the culture (Coackley,1998). Even though I stopped playing organized sports at the beginning of high school, I still participated in informal sports after school everything was organized by ourselves where was no official league rule and even though I missed the competition aspect of organized schools, playing informal games was much more fun. Studies have shown that children who participate in informal activities in their childhood and early adolescent years have a higher rate to remain active when they are older compared to kids who are put into a
Thus, parents who are supportive and introduce important beliefs in regards to physical activity can provide a life long effect on their children. The degree to which children participate in sports varies depending on the type of involvement parents have (Coackley, 1998). For most parents this includes driving their child to and from practices and competitions, spending money on membership or travel fees, and making sure that the child has the appropriate equipment and attire (Humana, 2016). Children from the lower income households were less likely to participate in sports than children from households with high income (Coackley, 1998). Moving to a new country and being part of a working class family at a young age, more specifically 9-11 years old, financial limitations had an important influence on the sport participation patterns for myself and one of my friends because access to resources, equipment and attires was very limited, where as my other friend had the opportunity to join hockey league team at a very young age. Having said this, my friend and I still had opportunities to participate in school activities/sports even though it was not at a highly competitive or “professional” …show more content…
Both of my friends made specific references to elementary school related experiences when they were talking about current attitude towards sports. Although all three of us had many positive experiences and memories, it was the negative experience that differentiated myself from my two friends. Despite their negative experience that did not stop them from participating in organized sports, whereas my negative experience affected my interest in organized sports. These negative memories revolved around the lack of opportunities and lack of care from the coaches/teachers. It seemed that in school, the sport activities were organized in ways that fit more closely with the boy’s interests and skills (Humana, 2016). It is often difficult to change these male-dominant patterns because they are deeply rooted in the culture (Coackley,1998). Even though I stopped playing organized sports at the beginning of high school, I still participated in informal sports after school everything was organized by ourselves where was no official league rule and even though I missed the competition aspect of organized schools, playing informal games was much more fun. Studies have shown that children who participate in informal activities in their childhood and early adolescent years have a higher rate to remain active when they are older compared to kids who are put into a