ABSTRACT
Measured in terms of organisation and content, PE is the most sex-differentiated and stereotyped subject on the school curriculum, particularly at secondary level. Although it purports to be a single subject, PE contains two distinct sex1 (or, rather, gender) subcultures. This is unsurprising given that contemporary PE is built on a history of sex segregation: distinct male and female traditions expressed in quasi-separate boys’ and girls’ departments, teaching differing activities to sex-specific teaching groups and holding, by degrees, differing perceptions regarding suitable content and teaching methods.
