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Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate female students' perceptions of their physical education experiences that led to their disinterest in secondary physical education. The extent to which apathy by female students was imposed by the educational institution and individual was examined. The theoretical framework of critical social inquiry informed the study. Specifically, feminist poststructuralism was used to deconstruct patriarchy within educational practices. The variables studied included female students' perceptions of social interactions within physical education, the curriculum and the physical setting. Qualitative sources of data collection consisted of observations, open-ended questionnaire and school documents. Constant comparison and triangulation were utilized in data analysis. Themes that emerged from the data analysis related to: teacher, curriculum, school environment and female students' selfperceptions. Critical feminist analysis of the themes revealed female students' apathy to be related to hierarchical stratification within secondary physical education.