Social value and asimmetry of gender and sex categories in Physical Education

International audienceAbstract Introduction Sports are traditionally considered to be masculine activities, but recent studies have shown that femininity and women may be more highly valued in this domain than previously thought. Objective This study sought to elucidate the apparent ambivalence about women in sports and specifically examined the social value of gender and sex in physical education classes. Method French physical education teachers from primary and middle schools and students in the fifth and ninth grades participated in two studies using the judge's paradigm and the self-presentation paradigm, respectively. Results The first study indicated that both masculinity and femininity were valued by teachers but were differently anchored in the components of social value. While masculinity was associated with the likelihood of success (social utility), femininity was associated with likeableness (social desirability). The stereotype of "male superiority in sport" also modulated social utility judgments. The second study revealed that ninth graders presented themselves as highly feminine and masculine when they strove to gain approval. Fifth graders only used femininity as a self-presentation strategy, suggesting that at this age children do not yet attempt to conform to teachers' expectations. Conclusion These studies suggest that future research on stereotypes in sports would benefit from theoretical approaches that take ambivalence in personal judgments into account, as this would avoid misinterpreting null or counter-stereotypical effects as apparently positive