Body Fatness and Performance Differences between Men and Women

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the mean difference in performance between men and women on selected physical performance tests was related to the sex difference in body fatness. Percent total body fat (% fat) estimated from skinfold thickness measures and performances on the modified pull-up, vertical jump, 50-yard dash, and 12-minute-run tests were measured on 55 male and 55 female college students. Males had significantly less fat and performed significantly better than females on each of the performance tests. Mean differences were 8.2% fat, 20.0 modified pull-ups, 20.8 cm on the vertical jump, 1.3 seconds on the 50-yard dash, and 590 m on the 12-minute run. Linear regression equations predicting performance scores from % fat within the groups of men and women indicated that if body fatness in men and women were similar, performance differences would be reduced, on the average, by 7 modified pull-ups, 4 cm on the vertical jump, .5 seconds on the 50–yard dash, and 146 m on the 12-minute run. These expected changes in performance were 36%, 19%, 38%, and 25% of the mean sex difference in performance on the four physical performance tests, respectively. It was concluded that greater body fatness is one characteristic that partly explains why women, on the average, do not perform as well as men on strenuous tasks requiring movement of the body weight. The sex-specific difference in body fatness should be one factor considered in establishing separate occupational and athletic performance expectations for men and women.