ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the term “sex” differences relative that is based upon the biological genetic difference between men and women rather than the term “gender” differences. A far wider concept than biological sex, “gender” implies life conditions, cultural and societal expectations about femininity/masculinity, and fundamentally one’s own sense of self. Sport performance is affected by societal influences as one of many factors that ultimately coalesce and contribute to athletic success. Since the modern era of the Olympic Games, women have been playing “catch-up” to men in terms of societal acceptance for female participation and the available opportunities for sport competition. Across many sport disciplines, women had few role models in sport and started competing chronologically later than their male counterparts. Age is also an inherent factor contributing to sport performance. Using data on elite athletes’ performances to understand the sex difference may be challenging when attempting to tease out the influence of environmental or “nurture” factors.
