Assessing Gender Perception of Sports Among School-Aged Children: a Pilot Study

Abstract

This study examines gender composition and cultural perceptions of sports among schoolaged children from urban and rural areas. The objective is to examine how students perceive sports participation, identify sports with a dominant gender presence, and assess whether some sports are viewed as suitable for one gender or both. The sample includes 468 sixthgrade students, divided by location into urban (77.45%) and rural (22.55%) groups. Data were collected using a modified questionnaire on gender classification across 30 sports and analyzed using non-parametric statistics. Results indicate that most children perceive sports as gender-neutral, with 66.7% of girls and 56.7% of boys sharing this view. Overall, 61.7% of participants consider sports equally suitable for both genders. These findings suggest a shift toward gender neutrality in sports participation while highlighting the persistence of traditional stereotypes, especially among boys, underscoring the need to challenge these perceptions to promote equality.