Sex Differences in Athletes' Media Representations: Conspiracy or Reflection of Human Nature?
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Psychology
Mentor Information
Robert Deaner
Department
Psychology
Location
Henry Hall Atrium 38
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Culture, Gender, Media, Social Science, U.S. Diversity
Abstract
Many studies report that media portrayals of female athletes are much less frequent than those of males and are qualitatively different, especially in their emphasis on physical attractiveness. This differential representation is usually assumed to be due to systematic social structural biases. Here we review evidence for the differential representation of male and female athletes and present a new hypothesis for it, namely that it partly reflects evolved psychological dispositions. We conclude by outlining research that might distinguish between the hypotheses.
Sex Differences in Athletes' Media Representations: Conspiracy or Reflection of Human Nature?
Henry Hall Atrium 38
Many studies report that media portrayals of female athletes are much less frequent than those of males and are qualitatively different, especially in their emphasis on physical attractiveness. This differential representation is usually assumed to be due to systematic social structural biases. Here we review evidence for the differential representation of male and female athletes and present a new hypothesis for it, namely that it partly reflects evolved psychological dispositions. We conclude by outlining research that might distinguish between the hypotheses.