The table below compares data about male and female involvement in selection of sports in the UK between 2005/06 and 2008/09. It provides information about swimming or diving, cycling and jogging, cross-country, road running.
Overall, there was a noticeable difference in the proportion of women and men participating in selected activities. There was a far greater number of females than males who took part in swimming during the whole period (with the highest percentages of 18 and 13.3 in 2005/06 respectively). However, male involvement in cycling and jogging was prevailing with a significant difference in numbers.
Swimming and diving had the highest participation rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09, with females outnumbering males. In 2005/06 and 2008/09, women made up 18.0% and 16.5% of the total, while men made up 13.3% and 13%. By contrast, participation in jogging and running was the lowest, with less than 5% in women and 8% in men, which is nearly twice as many males as females. Cycling was also more popular among men than women, with a high of 14.4% in September 2008/09, while the average percentage of women cycling ranged between 6.4% and 7%.