Voices from the Margins: ‘Older’ Sportswomen Speak Out

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Ryan

This study will explore the interconnected constructs of age and gender within the context of sport in New Zealand. It draws on one story written for a method known as memory-work to highlight the possibilities offered by this methodology. Memory-work is used to open a space for the voices of masters, female field hockey players who, as a group, are defined by chronological age and constructed by meanings through and by reference to age and gender. It is argued that through practice, sport has evolved in a way that makes it a special form of physical activity. Tins separation implies certain chronological age categories working hand-in-hand with gender stratification. Counter narratives are presented to illustrate how a subordinate group - in this case mid-life, masters sportswomen - contest externally derived images and alternative meanings are constructed.

Author(s):  
Tjaša Filipčič ◽  
Špela Bogataj ◽  
Jernej Pajek ◽  
Maja Pajek

Hemodialysis (HD) patients have lower functional abilities compared to healthy people, and this is associated with lower physical activity in everyday life. This may affect their quality of life, but research on this topic is limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between habitual physical activity and quality of life in HD patients and healthy controls. Ninety-three HD patients and 140 controls participated in the study. Quality of life was assessed using a 36-item medical outcomes study short-form health survey (SF-36). Human Activity Profile (HAP) was used to assess habitual physical activity. The adjusted activity score (AAS) from HAP, age, gender, fat tissue index (FTI), lean tissue index (LTI), and Davies comorbidity score were analyzed as possible predictors of the Physical Component Summary (PCS) of the SF-36. Three sequential linear models were used to model PCS. In Model 1, PCS was regressed by gender and age; in Model 2 the LTI, FTI, and Davies comorbidity scores were added. Model 3 also included AAS. After controlling for age and gender (ModelHD 1: p = 0.056), LTI, FTI, and Davies comorbidity score effects (ModelHD 2: p = 0.181), the AAS accounted for 32% of the variation in PCS of HD patients (ModelHD 3: p < 0.001). Consequently, the PCS of HD patients would increase by 0.431 points if the AAS increased by one point. However, in healthy controls, AAS had a lower impact than in the HD sample (B = 0.359 vs. 0.431), while the corresponding effects of age and gender (ModelH 1: p < 0.001), LTI, FTI, and Davies comorbidity score (ModelH 2: p < 0.001) were adjusted for. The proportion of variation in PCS attributed to AAS was 14.9% (ModelH 3: p < 0.001). The current study results showed that physical activity in everyday life as measured by the HAP questionnaire is associated to a higher degree with the quality of life of HD patients than in healthy subjects. Routine physical activity programs are therefore highly justified, and the nephrology community should play a leading role in this effort.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oriol Marquet ◽  
Monika Maciejewska ◽  
Xavier Delclòs-Alió ◽  
Guillem Vich ◽  
Jasper Schipperijn ◽  
...  

1981 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela E. Cooper ◽  
L. Eugene Thomas ◽  
Scott J. Stevens ◽  
David Suscovich

The roles chronological age and gender play in subjective time experience were explored in a sample of 294 adult men and women. Subjective time experience (STE: the difference between subjective age and chronological age) was found to vary widely among individuals, with some being “accurate” (SA = CA), and others either “retarded” (SA < CA) or “advanced” (SA > CA). Males were more retarded in STE than females at every point in the lifespan, and patterns of age differences in adulthood differed for the two sexes as well. The results suggest that chronological age may play a key role in transitions in STE, and that chronological age is more significant in the STE of women than in the STE of men.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 597-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric E. Wickel ◽  
Joey C. Eisenmann ◽  
Gregory J. Welk

Background:This study compared physical activity levels among early, average, and late maturing boys and girls.Methods:Physical activity was assessed with an Actigraph accelerometer in 161 (76 boys, 85 girls) 9 to 14 year olds over 7 consecutive days. Anthropometric variables were measured and the maturity offset (ie, years from peak height velocity) was predicted. Biological maturity groups (early, average, and late) were created based on the mean estimated age at peak height velocity for boys and girls separately.Results:Levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were similar between early, average, and late maturing boys and girls after adjusting for differences in chronological age. Levels of MVPA progressively declined across chronological age in boys and girls (P < .001) and gender differences existed at 10-, 12-, and 13-years, with boys having higher levels than girls (P < .05). When aligned according to biological age, gender-related differences in MVPA did not exist.Conclusions:Within this sample of 9 to 14 year old boys and girls, there were no significant differences in MVPA among early, average, and late maturing individuals.


2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Nolan ◽  
Jacqueline Scott

This article examines experiences of chronological age. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, we analyze both qualitatively and quantitatively verbatim responses from 8177 respondents aged 16 and over concerning the (dis)advantages of their age. Two main questions are tested: 1) Is the cultural narrative of age decline supported by the experiences of our respondents? 2) Are age experiences differentiated by gender? We find people's age experiences are multidimensional and multidirectional, incorporating narratives of progress and decline. Our data show marked gender differences in age experiences, but give little support to claims of a double standard concerning the aging body. More generally, we find that people contrast current experiences with their younger and older selves. We argue that future conceptual developments need to take seriously both a synchronic and diachronic understanding of age, highlighting not just the present but also the distinctive historical development of individuals across time.


1993 ◽  
Vol 77 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1283-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy L. Pellett ◽  
Arlene A. Ignico

The purpose of this study was to examine age and gender differences in perceptions of gender-typed physical activities and to investigate the relationship between children's and parents' perceptions. Participants included 357 students in Grades K, 2, 4, and 6 and their parents ( n = 455) from two elementary schools in Utah. The Physical Activity Stereotyping Index was used to assess both children's and parents' perceptions. Boys scored higher (more stereotypical in perceptions) on the Index than girls. Students in Kindergarten and Grade 2 scored significantly higher than those in Grades 4 and 6, while all adult (parents) groups were less stereotypical in their beliefs than all student groups. Significant correlations were obtained for spouses' scores ( r = .44, p < .001) and for parents' and their children's scores ( r = .24, p < .02).


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