Cultural Diversity in Women and Sport Participation

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Literature review
Methodology
Data analysis and Results
Discussion
Recommendations and conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Studies have found that cultural influences either shape or ruin opportunities for women to participate in sports. Cultural influences have undermined women’s capabilities to engage in sports. In the contemporary society, the participation of women in sports is one of the major areas of focus for women empowerment thereby making more women to seek knowledge regarding sports. Some of the factors identified in literature to contribute towards disengagement of women in sports include social norms, family, religion, male dominance, and dress codes.

Purpose of study

The major purpose of this study is to investigate whether cultural diversity in women influences their participation in sports. The study is focused on identifying the cultural aspects that influence women thereby making recommendation on sporting policies to incorporate the needs of women.

Literature review

Several cultural and structural factors act as obstacles to women participation in sports and sporting events. First, parents and family members have shown reluctance in encouraging women to participate in sports. This can be attributed to the traditional ways of living that prohibit women from taking parts in sporting events.

Still from the family perspective, there have been instances of cultural disparities in orienting women to sporting activities because women’s participation in sporting events has not been a common phenomenon.

Another factor that has played a lesser role in eliminating the participation of women in sporting events is the lack of strategic leadership in educational institutions. Physical education leaders have failed to design an equal motivation system that encourages equal participation of men and women in sports and sporting events.

Social barriers are also other form of cultural barriers that have impeded the development of women participation sports. For instance, gender obligations define the roles of women in the community and as well, in sporting events. Access to specific sporting events is limited when it comes to the participation of women.

The technical aspects include lack of appropriate sports facilities to suit women such as showers and privacy, low availability of female coaches, and inappropriate programs for developing such sports.

Religious factors are other major hindrances to the development of sporting activities among women. Religious beliefs and obligations limit the chances of women engaging in particular sports during particular time or day of the week. Equally, some religions such as Islam dictate that women must participate in a female-only environment. Certain religions require women to dress in a particular manner. For instance, women who observe the hijab might be restricted from participating in many sporting events.

Methodology

Research design

Quantitative research design was selected for the primary reason of quantifying the main variables in numeric terms. Quantitative research explains or predicts the relationship between variables, measures variables, tests theories and applies results to the population.

Sampling and procedure

Quantitative research design uses probability sampling to come up with a representative sample of the entire population. The population of this research is composed of the female students at the university. The researcher noted that university students have a lot of experience in physical and co curriculum activities both from high school and at the university. A total of 200 students were chosen for the survey.

The students ranged from first year to senior level students. The selection process relied on random sampling in order to avoid biasness and to have a representative sample of the whole population. The age of the participants ranged from 20 to 25 years. The respondents were also selected from different cultural and ethnic background including Muslims and Christians.

The researcher was also interested in both female students who participated in sports and those who did not participate in any sports. Sampling for the faculty members and sports officials at the university was done through non random sampling techniques. This is because the population was small and there was no need to select a representative sample.

Data analysis and Results

The data collected was analyzed separately for all the key variables involved. Women participation in sports was the independent variable being related to various other dependent variables: religious beliefs, taboos, cultural values, male dominance and personal interest.

	N	Number of female students who participate in sports	Number of female students who not participate in sports
African American	50	45	5
Latin White American	130	75	55
Muslims	40	10	30
Christians	100	80	20
Ethnic/ indigenous	40	30	10

Table 1: frequency of participation

Correlation

		IV: women participation in sports	DV1: Influence of religion	DV2: Male dominance	DV3: Cultural values
IV: women participation in sports	Pearson Correlation	1	.456	.543	.298
	Sig. (2 tailed)		.001	.001	.001
	N	180	180	180	180
DV1: influence of religion	Pearson Correlation	.456	1	.085	.078
	Sig. (2 tailed)	.001		.007	.005
	N	180	180	180	180
DV2: Male dominance	Pearson Correlation	.543	.123	1	.045
	Sig. (2 tailed)	.001	.002		.006
	N	180	180	180
DV3: cultural values	Pearson Correlation	.298	.112	.090	1
	Sig. (2 tailed)	.001	.008	.009
	N	180	180	180	180

Table 2: correlation coefficient

Table indicates positive correlation between the independent variables and the three dependent variables. (r¹=.456, p=.001), (r²=.543, p=.001), (r³= .298. p=.001). The r shows the relationship between the variables. P indicates the degree of significance.

Discussion

Generally, the results of this study indicated that women are affected by cultural norms in the society to some extent. They tend to either participate or not participate in sports because of cultural values and norms that exist in the society. Factors such as religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, clothing styles, taboos, and male dominance were found to impact interest of women in sports.

From the interviews conducted to faculty members and sports officials at the university, it was apparent that the university bared policies that supported or encouraged women to take part in the various sporting activities and programs offered. It was also found that the university had policies that encourage female participation by offering scholarships.

Table 2 shows the correlation result of the data. There is a negative correlation between the independent variable and the three dependant variable. This implies that the three cultures aspects used as the dependent variables have some moderate negative or opposite relationship with participation of women in sports.

This implies that as one variable increases, the other tends to decrease. In the context of the study, as influence of religion tends to increase, female participation in sports tends to decrease. Similarly as male dominance tends to increase, female participation in sports drops.

Recommendations and conclusion

Based on the findings, it is apparent that culture diversity in women influences their participation in sports. For some, they tend to be more active in sports and physical activities by virtue of their culture, while for others culture tends to hinder their participation despite having personal interest.

The results show that religion and societal stereotypes are the biggest influence of female participation in sports. Women tend to choose sports that are socially considered feminine. The results also show that women from particular cultures are very active physically and tend to appreciate the value of sports.

On the negative note, Muslim women are the biggest victims of cultural influences in sports. They not only are affected by the gender stereotypes but also religious values. As identified by , Muslim women are affected by their dress codes, families, and the society. They can never be allowed to participate in sports that would force them o dress ‘inappropriately’ or against the values of their religion.

Works Cited

Blinde, E, S. Greendorfer and R. Shanker. “Differential Media Coverage of Men’s and Women’s Intercollegiate Basketball: Reflection of Gender Ideology.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues (2000): 192-213. Print.

Carr, Sam. Attachment in Sport, Exercise and Wellness. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.

Groves, R, et al. Survey methodology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print.

Hannan, C. “Challenging the Gender Order.” Fourth World Conference on Women and Sport,. Kumamoto, Japan, 2006. Print.

Maesam-T-AbdulRazak, Omar-Fauzee Mohd Sofian and Rozita Abd-Latif. “The Perspective of Arabic Muslim Women toward Sport Participation.” Journal of Asia Pacific Studies (2010): Vol 1, No 2, 364-377. Print.

Rao, Nalluri Srinivasa. “Constraints of Indian women participation in games and sports.” Br J Sports Med (2010): 61-73. Print.

Sever, C. Gender & Sport: Mainstreaming Gender in Sports Projects,. Helsinki: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, 2005. Print.

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