Sex-Role Orientation and Attitudes towards Women: Differences among College Athletes and Nonathletes

Abstract

A total of 365 men (96 nonathletes, 106 individual sportsmen, 163 team sportsmen) completed a measure of sex-role orientation, the Bern Sex-role Inventory, a measure of views of women's roles (the Attitudes Towards Women Scale), and an index of attitudes towards men's and women's premarital heterosexual behavior, the Reiss Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale. Analyses indicated that competitive team athletes were significantly more masculine, were more tolerant of premarital sexual behavior for both sexes, and showed less egalitarian views towards women than did their nonathlete and individual athlete peers. No differences in femininity were observed between the groups. The results support the contention that success in athletics is associated with masculine characteristics and indicate the desirability of considering type of athletic activity when discussing the characteristics of athletes.