NEWS
2026.03.12
SSS #18: ASEAN-JAPAN Laos Research Report
Seijo University’s International Research Center for Sports and Gender Equality (SGE) operates the YouTube channel "Sport for Social Solutions (SSS)". This channel highlights sports as a platform for addressing social issues, featuring a wide range of guests including experts, government officials, and athletes to share information and exchange ideas.
Seijo University’s International Research Center for Sports and Gender Equality YouTube Channel:
The theme for SSS #18 is "ASEAN-JAPAN Laos Research Report."
As the only landlocked country in ASEAN, Laos is surrounded by five nations: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China. Much of the country is comprised of plateaus and mountainous regions, with approximately 50 ethnic groups maintaining their own unique languages and cultures under a socialist system. In this country, how are the roles of women and their participation in sports perceived?
As part of a Japan Sports Agency initiative, SGE leads the "ASEAN-JAPAN Actions on Sport: Gender Equality" project, where Japan and the governments of 11 ASEAN countries collaborate to promote gender equality through sports. A key component of this project is a research initiative launched in 2023 to identify challenges and needs related to women’s and girls’ sports participation.
Laos was the eighth country included in this research. SGE postdoctoral researcher Yu Furuta and postdoctoral researcher Yuko Takada, who joined SGE this fall, shared their insights and impressions they gained in the field.
The Image of Women Earning and Sending Money Home: Sports Participation as a Means to Secure Stable Jobs and Income
First, a characteristic finding of the Laos research was that the role expected of women — earning money and sending it back to their families, was a widely shared image of women. While gender roles such as childcare and housework seen in previously researched countries were discussed, the role of being the one to "remit money" was emphasized even more. These norms also influence women's sports participation; Takada noted hearing voices stating that because sports participation does not lead to income, it becomes a reason for not participating or being unable to participate.
At the same time, an interesting trend was observed regarding why students continue with sports. It was shared that students perceive sports as a path to stable employment, as sporting experience can be advantageous when seeking jobs in government-related sectors such as the Ministry of Defense or the police. Furthermore, for students competing at top levels such as international tournaments, the major goal was not a future career as a professional, but rather "winning prize money at this current tournament." Takada reflected, "It was striking that they aimed to win tournaments specifically so they could send the prize money back to their families."
In response, Furuta pointed out that in other researched countries like the Philippines, the connection between sports and money was discussed in terms of succeeding as a professional athlete to earn an income. In contrast, in Laos, sports participation is viewed as a way to secure government-related employment or as a means to earn prize money starting from one's student years; she noted that these points were unique and highlighted the differences from other nations.
The Lack of Discourse Regarding Physical Appearance
Next, Takada cited the "lack of discourse regarding physical appearance" as a characteristic point in Laos. Not only were there no mentions of body type or appearance — such as doing sports "to become beautiful" or "for a diet," but reasons for liking specific athletes were also not based on appearance, such as being "cool" or "cute." Furuta suggested that the relatively limited exposure to media due to being a developing economy might be a factor, while also noting that this may change in the future with the spread of smartphones.
The Gentleness of Laos and Attitudes Toward Competition
Finally, when asked about her impressions of the country, Furuta touched upon the gentle atmosphere pervading the entire nation and the low level of competitive consciousness. Based on conversations with representatives of Japanese organizations active locally, people in Laos tend to focus on "how to live for the moment" — today or tomorrow, rather than looking toward the distant future. Regarding this, Furuta reflected, "I felt that perhaps because they are focused on the present, it doesn't lead to an aggressive competitive spirit." Takada agreed, noting that reasons for liking specific athletes were attributed to "discipline" and "emotional control" rather than competitive ability or achievements, suggesting these values may reflect a low interest in competition.
Furthermore, Furuta expanded the comparison to Vietnam, another socialist country. She suggested that Vietnam tends to have a stronger awareness of elite sports, which may be backed by differences in the level of economic development. While Vietnam maintains a socialist system, but has introduced a market economy and achieved relatively high growth—ranking 5th in nominal GDP within ASEAN—Laos is positioned at 10th.
She further pointed out that there are gaps in the pace of economic development across ASEAN member states, stating, "I believe the characteristic of ASEAN is that such diverse countries come together to share their know-hows as a community." Takada also emphasized the strength of ASEAN as a community where, while acknowledging differences in economy, national systems, and religion, it is not a relationship of specific countries leading and others following, but rather a community bringing knowledge together from many directions.
Watch the full video of this episode here.
Reports from previously researched countries:
Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand.
