Deaner Robert O, Addona Vittorio, Mead Michael P
Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, USA..
Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, USA..
Evol Psychol. 2014 Oct 6;12(5):848-77. doi: 10.1177/147470491401200501.
It is well established that men are more likely than women to engage in direct competition, but it is unclear if this reflects social structural conditions or evolved predispositions. These hypotheses can be addressed by quantifying competitiveness in sports and testing if the sex difference is decreasing over time in the U.S., a society where social roles have converged. Study 1 assessed participation and the occurrence of relatively fast performances by masters runners (40-74 years old) at recent road races and track meets. Fast performances occurred over 20 times more often at track meets than at road races. Women comprised 55% of finishers at roads races but only 15-28% of finishers at track meets. Thus, the sex difference in masters track participation can serve as a measure of the sex difference in competitiveness. Study 2 used data from national championship meets and yearly rankings lists to test whether the sex difference in masters track participation decreased from 1988-2012. The sex difference decreased overall, but there was no evidence of change since the late 1990s. Therefore, the sex difference in the willingness to engage in direct sports competition appears to reflect both social structural conditions and evolved predispositions.
人们普遍认为，男性比女性更倾向于参与直接竞争，但尚不清楚这是反映了社会结构条件还是进化而来的倾向。通过量化体育比赛中的竞争力，并测试在美国这个社会角色已经趋同的国家，性别差异是否随时间减少，可以解决这些假设。研究1评估了近期公路赛和田径比赛中，中老年跑步者（40 - 74岁）的参赛情况以及相对较快成绩的出现频率。在田径比赛中，快速成绩出现的频率比公路赛高出20倍以上。在公路赛中，女性占完赛者的55%，但在田径比赛中仅占完赛者的15% - 28%。因此，中老年田径比赛参与度的性别差异可以作为竞争力性别差异的一个衡量指标。研究2利用全国锦标赛和年度排名榜单的数据，测试1988年至2012年中老年田径比赛参与度的性别差异是否有所下降。总体上性别差异有所下降，但自20世纪90年代末以来没有变化的迹象。因此，参与直接体育竞争意愿的性别差异似乎既反映了社会结构条件，也反映了进化而来的倾向。
