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Exploring The Associations Between Sexism, Physical Behaviors, And Psychosocial Correlates Of Physical Activity In Young Women, Melanna Cox

Doctoral Dissertations

Physical behaviors (PB), defined as physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB), tend to be less favorable in women than in men. Low self-efficacy (SE) and social support (SS), and gender norms hinder women’s PB. Benevolent sexism, a theory on gender norms, could explain the gender disparity. PURPOSE: To 1) assess the associations among benevolent sexism endorsement (BSEN), experiences with benevolent sexism (EBS), PB, SE, and SS, 2) evaluate if BSEN or SE mediate the relationship between EBS and PB, and 3) develop a questionnaire that measures a woman’s sexist experiences in PA. METHODS: Study 1: Women (N=186) completed a …