Gender and family status differences in leisure-time sports/fitness participation

Abstract

Drawing data from the 2010 American Time Use Survey, we examine how time spent in the major life domains, that is, paid work, unpaid work, and personal care, is associated with time spent on sports/fitness participation, and whether the size of this association differs by gender, marital, and parental status. We find that time in the major life domains is adversely associated with sports/fitness participation, although more so for men. Considering this gender difference in the effects of the time in the major life domains also helps us better reveal the oft-noted gender gap in sports/fitness participation. Moreover, we find the negative association of time spent in the major life domains and time on sports/fitness participation is stronger for married than single persons, whereas this association does not vary in size by parental status. Implications of these findings for future research on gender stratification in sports/fitness are discussed.