Gender Disparities in Sports Participation among Japanese Adults(Aged 18–79) : A Secondary Analysis of the SSF Sport Life Data (2018, 2020)

[Abstract] Through a secondary analysis of the "Sport Life Data 2018/2020" provided by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation and “Public Opinion Survey on the Participation in Sports 2020” provided by the Japan Sport Agency, this study clarifies the difference in gender on sports participation in contemporary Japan. Japan consistently ranks low in the Gender Gap Index. The results of the analysis revealed that men showed a strong positive correlation with sports characterized as "competitive," "team-based," and "outdoor," such as baseball, golf, futsal, soccer, and so on. Conversely, women exhibited a strong positive correlation with fitness activities—including yoga, aerobics, light gymnastics, and walking—as well as the category of "no sports participation in the past year." These findings suggest that gender norms in Japanese sports culture, intertwined with the socio-historical background of physical education and sports, as well as contemporary labor patterns and lifestyles, create distinct disparities in the choice of physical activities.