Socio-cultural Influences Flashcards
Socio-economic Groups
You need to be able to tell the general trend in participation rates in sport and physical activity from any data that is provided and the impact on those participation rates based on the following factors: socio-economic group, gender, age, ethnicity and disability.
Participation Rates
Sport England figures show that:
○ some sports are more popular
○ some groups of people are more likely to take part in physical activity.
Due to physical activity increasing our health, the UK government wants to encourage all groups to do at least a minimum amount of exercise. The government therefore tries to find ways to encourage participation for all.
Sport England and other organisations gather and analyse data to find out who participates in sport the most and why.
Data also shows that some groups are more likely to participate in particular types of activities based on the appeal of the activity.
You need to know some of the reasons for the different levels of participation and the barriers preventing everyone playing all sports.
Key Terms
○ Participation rates - the number of people taking part in physical activity.
○ Data - facts and statistics gathered together to provide information that is easier to see.
○ Trends - based on data, the general direction something is moving in (up, down or the same), for example, obesity levels in children.
Socio-economic group
Socio-economic group split people according to their job or profession. The groups are given an order:
○ Highest order - professional or managerial jobs where people have a lot of responsibility
○ Lowest order - where there is no or limited responsibility.
Normally high-responsibility jobs are paid more, so these people have more money.
What socio-economic groups can affect
Socio-economic group can affect:
○ participation rates
○ the activity participated in.
Reasons for differences in participation include:
○ cost - some activities cost more than others, for example, golf membership fees
○ availability - some activities are harder to get to for some people than others, for example, skiing and rock climbing
○ time - some activities take a long time and people have work and family commitments.
Gender
Gender groups are determined by a person’s sex, that is whether a person is male or female.
The reasons men and women participate more or less than each other can be due to the nature of the activity. Society still sees some sports as more associated with either men or women.
Lack of participation can be due to a number of different barriers preventing individuals from taking part.
Differences in participation
Reasons for differences in participation include:
○ image - some men do not want to do dance or play netball as they think these are ‘female’ activities, and some women would not play rugby or do boxing as they consider these to be ‘male’ activities. Either gender can worry about what other people think, preventing them from taking part
○ cost - women generally earn less than men
○ time - traditionally women will have restricted time as they spend more time looking after the home/children, as well as working, and so may have less time for sport.
Age
People are split into groups based on their age:
The reasons people from different age groups participate less than others can be due to the nature of the activity, but sometimes other barriers prevent them from taking part.
Differences in age
Reasons for differences include:
○ access - a local tennis club may only allow juniors to play at weekends but if they have a weekend part-time job this means they cannot play
○ cost - money may be needed to pay bills rather than pay for sport
○ time - less time due to work
○ nature of activity - depending on the individual, some activities may be more difficult to participate in as a person gets older. However, people in their 80s still run marathons!
Ethnicity
People are grouped based on their culture or specific origin. We all have an ethnic group.
The reasons people from different ethnic groups participate more or less than other ethnic groups can be due to the nature of the activity, but sometimes other barriers prevent them from taking part.
Differences in ethnicity
Reasons for differences in participation include:
○ cultural influences - family or peers influencing whether someone does or does not do an activity
○ stereotyping - where people from particular backgrounds are steered towards or away from certain activities, e.g. people of African origin being associated with and encouraged to compete in long-distance running events, rather than activities such as swimming
○ cost - due to socio-economic grouping, some people from different ethnic minority groups may have less money to spend on sport. For example, a Syrian refugee without a permanent job would not have the money needed to access more expensive sports.
Disability
A person’s disability may influence their choice of activity.
There are many adapted activities available for people with disabilities, such as:
○ wheelchair tennis and wheelchair rugby.
However, adapting sports can be expensive, and sports facilities able to run disability sessions may be limited. Therefore if a person’s disability prevents them from joining in mainstream sport, there is likely to be limited access to participate.
Differences in disability
Reasons for differences in participation include:
○ availability - lack of facilities or clubs in the area
○ cost - specialist equipment may be expensive
○ access - physical barriers, such as a lack of ramps or pool hoists
○ stereotyping - whether by the person with the disability (for example, thinking they are unable to participate) or by others (for example, assuming those with disabilities are unable to take part due to having a disability).
Commercialisation, the media and sport
You need to know about the relationship between commercialisation, the media and physical activity and sport: in other words, how they interlink.
Commercialisation
Commercial organisations are those that need to make a profit from the sale of goods, services or events.
These organisations can use sport and the media to get their product seen by millions, via advertising, sponsorship or endorsement.
Sponsorship can take many forms and it can be for:
○ an individual (for example, golfer Rory Mcllroy)
○ a team (for example, Manchester United FC)
○ an event (for example, Visa and the 2012 Olympics).
