Research Article

Religiosity and Women's Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys

Number: 91 October 27, 2026
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Religiosity and Women's Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys

Abstract

This study examines the association between religiosity and women's leisure-time physical activity in Türkiye, using two independent national samples. Its aim is to test whether treating religiosity as a single quantity is misleading. Data from the Türkiye Demographic and Health Survey and the Türkiye General Social Survey were analysed using logistic and ordinal logistic regression, with sampling weights and clustering applied where available. The findings show that dimensions of religiosity operate in opposite directions within a single model. In the Demographic and Health Survey data, ritual prayer frequency was positively associated with sport participation, while wearing a headscarf outside the home was negatively associated with it. The veiling coefficient was substantially larger for holidays and eating outside the home than for sport, indicating that the constraint attaches to public visibility rather than to sport-specific dress. In the General Social Survey data, religious literacy was positively associated with exercise frequency, and veiling was negatively associated with both exercise and walking. Self-rated religiosity showed no independent association in either survey. The results suggest that religiosity should enter health lifestyle theory not as a single positive force but as a dimensionally differentiated construct, and that single-item measures may understate its role.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

No

Ethical Statement

No

Thanks

No

References

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  3. Calderon Pacheco, A. (2015). Culture and religion: The sports and recreation experiences of Muslim women [Unpublished master’s thesis]. California State University, Long Beach.
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  6. Dagkas, S., & Benn, T. (2006). Young Muslim women's experiences of Islam and physical education in Greece and Britain: A comparative study. Sport, Education and Society, 11(1), 21-38.
  7. Deeb, L., & Harb, M. (2013). Leisurely Islam: Negotiating geography and morality in Shi'ite South Beirut. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
  8. Jiwani, N., & Rail, G. (2010). Islam, hijab and young Shia Muslim Canadian women's discursive constructions of physical activity. Sociology of Sport Journal, 27, 251-267.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sociology of Religion

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

October 27, 2026

Submission Date

August 1, 2026

Acceptance Date

October 26, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 91

APA
Yılmaz, M. (2026). Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 91, 582-597. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.2008290
AMA
1.Yılmaz M. Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;(91):582-597. doi:10.51290/dpusbe.2008290
Chicago
Yılmaz, Murat. 2026. “Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys”. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, nos. 91: 582-97. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.2008290.
EndNote
Yılmaz M (October 1, 2026) Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 91 582–597.
IEEE
[1]M. Yılmaz, “Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys”, Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, no. 91, pp. 582–597, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.51290/dpusbe.2008290.
ISNAD
Yılmaz, Murat. “Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys”. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 91 (October 1, 2026): 582-597. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.2008290.
JAMA
1.Yılmaz M. Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;:582–597.
MLA
Yılmaz, Murat. “Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys”. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, no. 91, Oct. 2026, pp. 582-97, doi:10.51290/dpusbe.2008290.
Vancouver
1.Murat Yılmaz. Religiosity and Women’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Türkiye: Countervailing Associations of Ritual Practice and Veiling in Two National Surveys. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026 Oct. 1;(91):582-97. doi:10.51290/dpusbe.2008290