Participation of Pakistani Female Students in Physical Activities: Religious, Cultural, and Socioeconomic Factors

Abstract

In sports literature, women’s participation in physical activities has always been characterized as “problematic.” Muslim women’s participation is often considered to be limited by their culture and religion, which also affects their attitude toward physical activities. The purpose of this study is to explore the participation and perceived constraints of Pakistani female students in physical activities, using a feminism-in-sports approach. Semi-structured and informant-style interviews with female students from Larkana, Pakistan, were conducted. The results show that participants either do not practice or participate very little, due to the limitations of socioeconomic factors, religious values, and culture. By exploring the diverse ways in which 20 female students talk about their participation in sports activities, we provide different narratives for sports decision-makers (at the school and government level), parents, and community practitioners (political and religious) to consider and draw upon in their curriculum and policy design, as well as daily practices, to support women’s participation in sport activities.

‘These are “our” sports’: Kabaddi and Kho-Kho women athletes from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

“…These differences also exist in elite-level sports. For example, despite Pakistan being the sixth most populous country in the world and having a population of approximately 100 million women (World Bank, 2019), only 10 Pakistani women have participated in the Summer Olympic Games since Pakistan’s independence in 1947 (Laar et al, 2019). These variations exist even with robust Islamic theological literature supporting women’s inclusion in sports (Benn et al, 2011; Walseth and Fasting, 2003).…”

Performance, Health, and Psychological Challenges Faced by Students of Physical Education in Online Learning during COVID-19 Epidemic: A Qualitative Study in China

“…This study adopts a qualitative case study approach, with the use of phenomenological procedures to collect and analyze data [34]. We highlight the difficulties of holding online physical education classes, as discussed by the participants, revealed their effective operation and the challenges faced therein, and observed the data through thematic analysis [35]. This study is part of a large project funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China, and it followed all ethical considerations.…”

“…All focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed into MS Word, and then translated into English for data analysis purposes [35]. A Chinese researcher who is fluent in English worked as a moderator during the focus group discussions.…”

“…A Chinese researcher transcribed and translated the data, which were checked by other authors who are fluent in English and Chinese. Key rich information obtained by the interviews/discussions can be explained through the work of Rosenthal and Fischer-Rosenthal [35,36] who state that in order to explain and understand the participants' comments about their previous experiences, it is very important to explain some parts of their current life and future outlook (p. 259).…”

Beyond the Hijab: Subjective Experiences of Indonesian Muslimah Basketball Players

“…In this context, the hijab has gained dual meanings: it does not consist of the practice of Islamic faith only but also enlarges the function as an indicator of social class, lifestyle, and status (Deniz, 2014). However, Muslim women athletes' participation percentage is significantly lower than that of other women athletes (Laar et al, 2019). Those Muslim women athletes encounter a set of challenges that are not faced by non-Muslim women athletes.…”