Challenging the Binary: A Quantitative Exploration of College Athletes’ Exposure and Support for Sex-Integrated Sport

Scholars recognize sex segregation as one reason for the persistent gender inequity in sport, and sex-integrated sport is one potential solution to promote gender equity. The existing literature on sex integration consists of small sample sizes, and most studies rely on observations and interviews. By utilizing a cross-sectional online survey of a sample of college athletes from across the United States (N = 295), this study takes a broad approach to investigate the extent of exposure to and support for sex-integrated sport across age levels, types of practice, and essentialist/social constructionist beliefs. The findings indicate that both exposure to and support for sex-integrated sport are higher at early age levels than at the collegiate level, and higher in training settings than in competition. Increasing essentialist beliefs decreased the likelihood of supporting sex-integrated competition at the collegiate level, whereas increasing social constructionist beliefs was associated with an increased likelihood of supporting sex-integrated competition. Additionally, mediation testing suggests that social constructionist beliefs mediate the relationship between exposure to sex-integrated competition and support for sex-integrated competition, partially explaining the process through which exposure might influence support. Drawing on these findings, we argue the patterns of exposure to and support for sex-integrated sports are associated with understandings of sex, age, and competition in sports.