Abstract
This research note draws upon various national surveys, and some new survey data, to examine the participation rates of Japanese women in sport and games. The data cover the period from 1979 to 1997, and show that in middle-age, more women participate in sport than do their male counterparts. This is linked to the establishment and organization of sports for women in the 1970s and the early 1980s, and to changing attitudes towards women's place in the household, the family and the workplace. The increase in women's participation is unlikely to continue, though, due to changes in the lifecourse and lifestyle of Japanese women. The rise in the number of unmarried women in the workforce means that for more women, participation in sport will not be so much of a priority as for those women based in the home who have had the time, resources and opportunity to play sports.
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