Gender stereotypes in sport among the population of Gipuzkoa

Historically, women have been excluded from sport in general and from some sporting disciplines in particular. Arguments such as their physical fragility, the negative effects on their health or the unsightly effect that sports practice could cause have been the reasons given for this. These issues have largely been overcome, but gender stereotypes persist. A survey carried out on a representative sample of the population of Gipuzkoa through the CATI system, with the aim of analysing gender stereotypes in sport and to ascertain opinions on equal participation in sport and the promotion of a single sporting classification, has once again shown this to be the case.. Of the 33 sports disciplines included in the Olympic Games, only two, Equestrian and Athletics: jumping, were perceived as neither male nor female. Institutional declarations, the enhancement of laws for the equal gender participation in sport, and the elimination of gender barriers in the practice of different sport disciplines are paving the way towards parity. However, prejudices and gender stereotypes persist. More than a century after the first modern Olympic Games, there is still a long way to go to overcome gender stereotypes in sport.