Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the gender differences in characteristics of Japanese walkers through comparison with sports participants and to interpret such differences from the perspective of the gender ideology. Comparisons were based on several factors including attitude toward physical education, past participation in sport and so on. A survey was conducted by questionnaires mailed out to 1, 535 Japanese adults in 1998, of whom 1, 047 persons replied. Of those who responded, 369 persons (163 females and 206 males) were used in the analysis. Walkers and sport participants were compared by the logistic regression analysis in each sex. Moreover, the results of logistic regression analysis in males and in females were compared. Among females, the persons, who has negative attitude toward physical education and had not participated in sport activity after graduation from high school, have a tendency to conduct walking. The trend of participation in walking by the person with such characteristics was interpreted by the male dominated principles such as “competitiveness”, “skill”, and “rule” peculiar to the modem sport. It was argued that these male dominated principles had excluded the females from participation in sport, and walking is conducted easily by females because it doesn't possess such principles.
