Sex-Role Orientation and the Responses of Men to Exercise Stress

Abstract The present investigation was designed to investigate whether males' gender roles mediate their perception of strenuous physical exercise, a stereotypically masculine task. Forty-two college-age males from three sex-role categories (masculine, feminine, and androgynous) performed a bicycle ergometer exercise at comparable work intensities. Results indicated that, in comparison to feminine males, masculine males reported lower physical strain (via general RPEs), while androgynous males had more positive affect and greater endurance. These findings suggest that inadequate experience with cross-gender behaviors may have a greater influence upon perceptions of an activity than the gender inappropriateness of such behavior.