Abstract

The social factors influencing participation in sports competitions are not equal and they do not influence men and women in the same way. This paper evaluates gender differences created by the factors affecting participation in popular longdistance events. Although athletics is a sport with little inequality, men opt for long-distance running to a greater extent than women do. The length of the race is the factor that creates most differences, and may affect the number of women taking part by a factor of three. Women are opting for short distances and events which are more festive or feature mass participation. In the international context, gender equality in Spanish participation in long-distance events is one of the lowest of all countries with higher rates of development.