Gendered Relationships Between Sports Participation and Spectatorship

This study investigates the relationship between sports participation and spectatorship, two dimensions of sports engagement that have significant policy implications, by analyzing data from a 2016 nationwide UK survey (N = 1105). Scholarly research into this connection is relatively limited, especially when examined through a gendered lens. Discussing theoretical considerations of gender and the interrelations between direct sports participation and spectatorship, we utilize statistical techniques, including latent-class analysis (LCA), which enable us to uncover patterns in spectatorship and participation in the UK (two classes for women; three classes for men). We further operationalize capital by drawing on Bourdieu’s framework—encompassing economic, cultural, social, and symbolic forms of capital—to assess the resources that shape individuals’ (gendered) access to and engagement with sport. We find strong evidence for links between sport participation and spectatorship (r = 0.194 for women; r = 0.360 for men). While men exhibit a diverse range of engagement profiles, our findings indicate that women must overcome additional barriers, requiring significantly higher levels of capital and a higher degree of personal engagement to participate, suggesting that women are still disproportionately challenged in accessing this socially salient cultural form.