Are there associations between religious affiliation and drive for muscularity? A cross-sectional survey of young Muslim women, Christian women and atheist women from Germany

Leonie Wilhelm,Julia C Becker,Andrea S Hartmann,Manuel Waldorf,Silja Vocks

doi:10.1186/s12905-020-01138-8

Abstract

BackgroundOver the last 20 years, society’s perception of the ideal female body size in Western cultures has changed from thin to athletic, and many women practice sports to achieve well-toned bodies. However, to date, no study has investigated whether Muslim women who live in a Western country and veil their bodies strive for lean or muscular bodies too. The current cross-sectional survey therefore addressed this question.MethodsVeiled Muslim women (n = 70), unveiled Muslim women (n = 50), Christian women (n = 79), and atheist women (n = 68) living in Germany answered several questionnaires assessing engagement in sports, body appreciation, and drive for leanness and muscularity. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to compare the four groups.ResultsThe results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that Muslim women engaged less in sports and veiled Muslim women reported higher body appreciation than did Christian and atheist women. Although the groups did not differ significantly in drive for muscularity, Muslim women showed lower levels of drive for leanness than did Christian and atheist women.ConclusionGiven that Muslim women engaged less in sports and strived less for a lean body compared to Christian and atheist women, a well-toned body might be less important for them. Nevertheless, as being active is beneficial for general health, barriers that prevent Muslim women from engaging in sports should be diminished.

Highlights

Over the last 20 years, society’s perception of the ideal female body size in Western cultures has changed from thin to athletic, and many women practice sports to achieve well-toned bodies
Christian women were slightly older compared to veiled Muslim women, p = .001, d = 0.65, and unveiled Muslim women, p = .028, d = 0.32, and atheist women were older than veiled Muslim women, p = .003, d = 0.62
The present study contributed to the limited quantitative research on how much Muslim women engage in sports [31, 43] by comparing veiled and unveiled Muslim women, Christian women, and atheist women regarding their engagement in sports

Summary

Introduction

Over the last 20 years, society’s perception of the ideal female body size in Western cultures has changed from thin to athletic, and many women practice sports to achieve well-toned bodies. Worldwide, fewer women than men do sports, and Wilhelm et al BMC Women’s Health (2020) 20:271. Being physically active enhances women’s self-esteem and promotes a positive body image [9]. Body image is defined as a person’s mental representation of his/her own body and the feelings regarding this mental representation [10]. A person’s body image might be favorable and positive, resulting in high body appreciation, or unfavorable and negative, leading to a negative attitude towards one’s own body [11]. As a negative body image is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder [12], it is important to identify factors which positively influence body image, such as engaging in sports [9]

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Discussion

Conclusion