Gender Equality

A Look At Sporting Goods Stores

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The Mission:

The issue at hand: how are women treated in sporting goods stores that are stereotypically for men? There are many stereotypes associated with different areas of sports and outdoor recreational activities that may affect how both women and men are treated when shopping in these kinds of stores. We set out to understand a little bit more about the differences, and to see if our perceptions about stereotypes and the resulting behaviors were, in fact, correct.

Process:

We went into various sporting goods stores in several locations across the Southern Tier, NY. As a group of four women, we went into the stores and browsed in different sections to see how differently we would be treated. We also were interested in seeing how males were being treated in the store, and if they were getting more or less attention in different areas of the store.

Outcome:

The results were shocking, and our hypothesis was more than supported by the experiences that we had in each store. For more information and specific details of our experiences, please direct your attention to the left hand side of the screen.