A comparative, qualitative study to determine what factors motivate men and women in Durban to exercise at gym

Abstract

Many men and women have gym contracts, but do not always feel motivated to workout at gym. There are several motivational factors which motivate men and women to workout at gym, of which, this study aims to identify. The current literature available on what factors that motivate men and women to exercise at gym is minimal in the South African context. Therefore, this study attempts to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of sports psychology, in regard to what motivates South African men and women to workout at gym. As this study is qualitative, the sample consisted of four participants, two men and two women residing in Durban, South Africa, in order to gather data through semi-structured interviews. From the data collected, it can be noted that men are more intrinsically motivated, including their health and accomplishment, where women are more motivated by extrinsic factors, such as physical appearance and accountability to others. Due to this study using a purposive sampling method, it is encouraged that further research is done on a wider demographical group of individuals from different racial groups, age groups, and socio-economic backgrounds as this study included urban area, Durban based participants only.