Physical education and femininity

Abstract

Summary Educationalists have voiced concern for a number of years about the differentiated response of boys and girls to physical education in the secondary school. The bulk of research has indicated that boys’ attitudes towards the subject tend to be more positive and that participation (in both curricular and extra‐curricular activities) is generally looked upon as being more readily compatible with prevailing notions of masculinity than femininity. In this paper we present the findings of a recent survey which suggests that girls may now be less likely than in the recent past to perceive PE as a ‘masculine’ subject.’