Disentangling the influences of sex stereotypes in physical education with the non-zero-sum/zero-sum behaviors distinction

Abstract

This article aimed at explaining why in the sport domain, traditionally considered as a masculine domain, girls may sometimes receive better treatements than boys. We examined whether such contrast from stereotypes reflect a reconsideration of traditional sex stereotypes. Physical education teachers and undergraduate students watched videos of male and female pupils’ jump performances. They made team selections (zero-sum behaviors) and hypothetical verbal and nonverbal reactions (non-zero-sum behaviors). Evidence in students as well as in teachers of pro-female bias was found in non-zero-sum behaviors, whereas zero-sum behaviors revealed pro-male bias, illustrating an ambivalent view of the influence of stereotypes. Interestingly, these results were obtained with the same target persons successively playing the role of a boy and of a girl.