Women Get Less Exercise than Men

A new survey revealing differences between the way men and women exercise shows that despite being more inclined to want to exercise, women get less exercise than men.

The survey by VicHealth and Griffith University, which included 1413 Melbourne adults, showed there was also a difference in the type of exercise each gender prefers.

Women are more likely than men to take part in yoga (7% vs. 3%) and slightly more likely to go swimming (16% vs. 14%). And men are significantly more likely than women to take part in cycling (19% vs. 11%) and golf (12% vs. 2%).

Women’s participation is consistently lower in all age groups after the age of 29.

Overall, men were more likely to say they had been physically active in the previous week at 94 per cent, compared to 92 per cent of women overall, when you include walking. When you exclude walking, 65 per cent of women exercised, compared with 69 per cent of men.

However, the survey shows 34 per cent of women intend to start a new physical activity compared to only 18 per cent of men, with a tendency towards increasing walking, aerobics and yoga.

VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said women often face more barriers to physical activity, particularly women over 30, mothers and those from non-English speaking backgrounds. Common reasons include difficulty finding the time, a lack of appropriate facilities for women and caring for children.

“Women are finding it increasingly difficult to get involved in exercise at set times of the day or week,” Ms Rechter said. “Modern lifestyles have resulted in many women having to choose between work or family commitments and physical activity. "There is little doubt that our increasingly busy and cluttered lifestyles are a factor, which is why we need to rethink how we get our 30-minutes of exercise into our days.”