LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS ON SOUTHERN PUNJAB FEMALE STUDENTS, PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS: A STATISTICAL MODEL OF CONSTRAINTS

Abstract

Although there have been great efforts to encourage gender equality in sports at the national level, women students in Southern Punjab are still heavily marginalised in sports. This case study was designed, developed and validated a statistical model of constraints among 250 female undergraduate students of University of Layyah and government colleges affiliated to Layyah district. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data, which were analysed using the descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-test and multiple linear regression in SPSS Version 26. The results showed that the socio-cultural constraints (mean = 4.32), lack of parental permission (mean = 4.18) and inadequate facilities (mean = 4.05) were the most significant barriers, accounting for 68.4 % of the variance in low sports participation. A hierarchical constraints model was statistically significant (F(6,243) = 87.62, p < 0.001). In this regard, the study suggests specific measures such as separate facilities for females, dissemination of information and policy changes to be implemented to counter these obstacles in the context of districts with limited resources, such as Layyah.

Keywords: Restrictions, Southern Punjab, female students, Sports, Statistical model of constraints, District Layyah.