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U.S. masters track participation reveals a stable sex difference in competitiveness.

ABSTRACT: It is well established that men are more likely than women to engage in direct competition, but it is unclear if this reflects social structural conditions or evolved predispositions. These hypotheses can be addressed by quantifying competitiveness in sports and testing if the sex difference is decreasing over time in the U.S., a society where social roles have converged. Study 1 assessed participation and the occurrence of relatively fast performances by masters runners (40-74 years old) at recent road races and track meets. Fast performances occurred over 20 times more often at track meets than at road races. Women comprised 55% of finishers at roads races but only 15-28% of finishers at track meets. Thus, the sex difference in masters track participation can serve as a measure of the sex difference in competitiveness. Study 2 used data from national championship meets and yearly rankings lists to test whether the sex difference in masters track participation decreased from 1988-2012. The sex difference decreased overall, but there was no evidence of change since the late 1990s. Therefore, the sex difference in the willingness to engage in direct sports competition appears to reflect both social structural conditions and evolved predispositions.

SUBMITTER: Deaner RO

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10457138 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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U.S. masters track participation reveals a stable sex difference in competitiveness.

Deaner Robert O RO Addona Vittorio V Mead Michael P MP

Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior 20141006 5

It is well established that men are more likely than women to engage in direct competition, but it is unclear if this reflects social structural conditions or evolved predispositions. These hypotheses can be addressed by quantifying competitiveness in sports and testing if the sex difference is decreasing over time in the U.S., a society where social roles have converged. Study 1 assessed participation and the occurrence of relatively fast performances by masters runners (40-74 years old) at rec ...[more]

PMID: 25300067

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Project description:PurposeTransdisciplinarity has been described as a fusion of theories, methods, and expertise across disciplinary boundaries to address complex, global problems. This approach has coincided with an increase in US medical schools offering masters degrees along with an MD degree to equip medical students to practice in complex, interconnected health systems. This study focused on medical schools that graduate the most dual degree students per year and explored the alignment of such programs with a transdisciplinary approach.MethodsWe identified 19 allopathic medical schools that annually graduated an average of 10 or more dual-degree students from 2015-2020. We surveyed these schools and asked participants to describe the reason(s) their institutions offered dual-degree programs. Two authors coded the narrative responses from the survey.ResultsResponses were received from 17 of the 19 schools. The analysis of participants' responses regarding their institutions' purpose for offering dual programs revealed several themes associated with a transdisciplinary approach to training. The most common themes were expand skill sets beyond a medical degree (73%), provide opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration (67%), expand career interest and goals (60%), develop leaders (53%), enhance residency applications (47%) and further the institution's vision and mission (45%).ConclusionsThis study is the first comprehensive evaluation of MD/Masters programs in the United States that includes a summary of the medical schools with the largest dual degree programs and their reasons for offering them. The findings support the hypothesis that allopathic medical schools recognize the need for a transdisciplinary approach to prepare students for the complexities in healthcare. These programs provide students with opportunities for additional areas of expertise, leadership development, enhancement of competitiveness for residency application, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Medical schools without dual-degree programs may consider developing these programs to provide benefits to students and institutions.

Project description:BackgroundThe sex difference in athletic performance has been thoroughly investigated in single sport disciplines such as swimming, cycling, and running. In contrast, only small samples of long-distance triathlons, such as the IRONMAN® triathlon, have been investigated so far.AimThe aim of the study was to examine potential sex differences in the three split disciplines by age groups in 5-year intervals in a very large data set of IRONMAN® age group triathletes.MethodsData from 687,696 (553,608 men and 134,088 women) IRONMAN® age group triathletes (in 5-year intervals from 18-24 to 75+ years) finishing successfully between 2002 and 2022 an official IRONMAN® race worldwide were analyzed. The differences in performance between women and men were determined for each split discipline and for the overall race distance.ResultsMost finishers were in the age group 40-44 years. The fastest women were in the age group 25-29 years, and the fastest men were in the age group 30-34 years. For all split disciplines and overall race time, men were always faster than women in all groups. The performance difference between the sexes was more pronounced in cycling compared to swimming and running. From the age group 35-39 years until 60-64 years, the sex differences were nearly identical in swimming and running. For both women and men, the smallest sex difference was least significant in age group 18-24 years for all split disciplines and increased in a U-shaped manner until age group 70-74 years. For age groups 75 years and older, the sex difference decreased in swimming and cycling but increased in running. Considering the different characteristics of the race courses, the smallest performance gaps between men and women were found in river swimming, flat surface cycling and rolling running courses.ConclusionsThe sex difference in the IRONMAN® triathlon was least significant in age group 18-24 years for all split disciplines and increased in a U-shaped manner until age group 70-74 years. For 75 years and older, the sex difference decreased in swimming and cycling but increased in running.

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U.S. masters track participation reveals a stable sex difference in competitiveness.

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U.S. masters track participation reveals a stable sex difference in competitiveness.

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