Differential Sex Role Socialization toward Amplitude Appropriation

The term amplitude appropriation refers to the size of that portion of the environment a child envisions as appropriate for his or her activity and the degree of movement he or she perceives as possible in that environment. The purpose of this study was to compare the physical activity of role models to which boys and girls are exposed in elementary school textbooks grades one through six. Twenty-four textbooks were rated on the activity level of boys, girls, men, and women pictured in these books. An activity scale was devised to rank levels of physical activity. The results indicated that children are 13 times more likely to see a vigorously active man than a vigorously active woman and 3 times more likely to see a relatively active man than a relatively active woman. The ratio of vigorously active boys to girls was 3.5 to 1. It was found that socialization toward physical activity comprises a significant part of a larger socialization process which communicates to children the size of the environment which they should envision as appropriate for their activity, and the degree of movement possible in that environment.