Abstract

This study examined the relationship between liking for play activities stereotyped for own or opposite sex, parental sport participation and recreational sport participation in 60 nine year-old school children. Gregson and Colley (1986), using an older, late adolescent sample, had previously found that the possession of masculine behavioural attributes and parental sport involvement were associated with greater sport participation for females but not for males. The present data present a similar picture. Liking for masculine play activities was significantly associated with, and significantly predicted recreational sport participation for girls but not boys. Parental sport participation was also significantly associated with recreational sport participation for girls. The findings indicate that masculine behavioural attributes and sport participation in the family are important factors in female sport involvement before, as well as after, adolescence. Verf.-Referat