Gender equality predicts leisure-time physical activity: benefits for both sexes across 34 countries

Abstract

Although countries’ gender equality is associated with important health outcomes, especially for females, it remains unclear whether gender equality is associated with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Data from 34 countries was acquired from the International Social Survey Program, the Pew Research Forum, the United Nations, and the World Bank. Separate analyses were conducted for 21,502 males and 26,652 females. Hierarchal nonlinear Bernoulli modeling was used to examine the association between gender equality and participation in LTPA. Both males and females residing in countries’ with higher gender equality were more likely (twice and three times more likely, respectively) to report weekly LTPA than those residing in countries characterized by low gender equality. These effects persisted even when controlling for individual (i.e. age, education) and country-level (i.e. population, gross domestic product) covariates. However, significant variation in LTPA persisted at the country level, suggesting the need for further research. These findings provide novel evidence that both males and females benefit from gender equality. To explain these findings, we hypothesize that increased gender equality decreases the average number of offspring and, in turn, allows mothers more time for leisure, and to invest more resources in both male and female offspring, which may increase LTPA.