Chinese women enjoy doing yoga.
In recent years, the consumption habits of Chinese have changed a lot, from having adequate food and clothing to leisure and recreation. City women have gradually become a large force in sports and entertainment. Meanwhile, China's sports industry has rapidly grown more than 20 percent annually, accounting for around 0.7 percent of the local GDP in developed areas. The sports industry has also changed a lot. The sports industry is developing quickly and expanding growth in other related industries. Obviously, women have played an important role as a main force in fitness and athletics.
More women participating in sports
Report on the present situation of Chinese popular physical training published by the General Administration of Sports of China at the end of 2002 is the latest and most authoritative report on sports in China. According to statistics of that time (end of 2001), those that are active in sports in China account for 33.9 percent of the total population aged from 7 to 70 years old, among which men account for 56.6 percent while women account for 43.3 percent. 15.8 percent of women are involved in athletic activities. From this number, we can see that a lower proportion of women participate in sports than men. As urban and rural areas have developed and people's consumption habits have changed in the past five years, more women have become active in sports. That report mentions that the most popular exercises for rural and urban residents are fitness and aerobics. Now, sports that are for recreation and health show the most increase in female participants, particularly in economically developed areas.
More women are participating in sports, particularly in bodybuilding activities such as swimming, badminton, tennis ball, aerobics, yoga and other outside activities. The Survey on Chinese Women's Quality of Life conducted in 2005 shows that women's sense of bodybuilding is generally strong, 82.6 percent of women periodically exercise. One gym reported that women member made up nearly 60 percent of their total. An outdoor sports website indicated that more women than men engaged in recreational activities that were low impact. Statistics from a gym in Beijing reported that women members accounted for 54 percent of the total, similar to the other gym.
Sports consumption reflects women's power
Though the total number of women in sports and the sports events women engage in are less than that of men, the women who are active in sports are not a force to be neglected. Other than showing women's sense of fitness, The Survey of Women's Quality of Life also revealed that fitness was in the top four expenses of women, followed by clothing/accessories, automobile and travel (clothing/accessories and travel may be related to the sports industry), proving that women are willing to pay for fitness services.
The first is women's attitude towards sport consumption. Fitness and aerobics are fashionable women's activities. A woman who bought memberships at three different fitness centers in Hangzhou city said: "There are more female members in this fitness club than men. The main reason is that women like fashion more than men. So exercising attracts many women."
Second, after keeping healthy, bodybuilding is one of the main reasons women participate in fitness. It is only human to love beauty. Sports can make women feel beautiful. After the Spring Festival, free dance classes at fitness centers in Harbin were very popular and discounted membership offers attracted many customers.
Women's consumption habits demand brand names and high quality. Compared to men's concerns about functionality and practicability, women pay more attention to brand names and style when they choose sports clothing and equipment. A female IT professional in Beijing said that she preferred high quality products. She said frankly: "Not all brands are good, but sports brands that suit my taste bring me confidence and happiness."
Promising outlook for women's sports
In sports, women as the main force of sports consumption have not received enough attention. For example, sports equipment produced by some manufacturers are used by both men and women. Even in the last stage of the 20th century, women's sports equipment was the same as men's, but just in a smaller size. As more women participated in sports, it has no longer been possible to neglect women in the sports equipment market. The market for women's athletic clothing has fused with fashion, making it a promising sector for sport equipment manufactures worldwide.
Compared to international manufacturers, domestic manufactures are inferior in terms of production research and development as well as marketing strategies; meanwhile there are many blanks in the sports industry. China's sports industry is faced with the task of making customized products for women.
