Peer-reviewed article
Doing childhood, doing gender, but not doing sports: Unorganized girls’ reflections on leisure time from a relational perspective
Anders Valdemar Kassman, Åsa Kneck ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how girls from a multi-ethnic area in Sweden who do not participate in organized sports view their leisure time and well-being. The girls primarily saw leisure as a time to rest rather than be active, maintained strong close relationships but weaker broader social connections, and held traditional views about gender roles in sports. Physical activity was generally seen as unwanted and tiring unless it was part of play.
Key points
- Girls not doing sports regard leisure time mainly as a moment for rest
- They have close relations in primary groups but weaker secondary relations
- They reveal stereotypical opinions about gender divisions in sports
- Physical activity is unwanted and tiresome if not part of playing
Limitations
The study focuses only on girls not participating in organized sports, so it does not capture perspectives of active girls or allow comparison between active and inactive populations. It does not provide information about the long-term health or developmental outcomes of this leisure pattern.
Abstract
The aim is to analyze how girls from a multi-ethnic area, not doing sports, reason about their well-being during leisure time, and how they think about physical activities, social relations, and their near future. The results say that they mainly regard leisure time as a moment for rest. They have close relations in primary groups but weaker secondary relations. They reveal stereotypical opinions about gender divisions in sports. Physical activity is unwanted and tiresome, if not part of playing.