The Impact of Socioeconomic Background on Taekwondo Participation among Adolescents in Mumbai: A Comparative Study Across School Types

Taekwondo has become one of India’s most widely practised martial arts. Yet the chance to train and compete in it is not shared equally. This paper examines the extent to which socioeconomic background influences access to Taekwondo training and competitive participation among adolescents aged between 13 and 18 in Mumbai, India. Respondents were drawn from four school types: government, BMC, private and international. The study with a sample size of n = 75 draws on existing literature and primary research to argue that private school students demonstrate higher training frequency and competitive participation in Taekwondo than students who study in government schools. Income correlates strongly with training frequency (r = +0.68). A multiple regression shows that this relationship is not direct. Once financial struggle, parental priority and travel barriers are held constant, income is no longer a significant predictor of training days (β = 0.195, p = 0.276). Parental priority is the only significant predictor (β = 0.317, p = 0.008). Income appears to act on participation through parental attitudes and household financial pressure rather than on its own. In addition, the research paper has identified financial barriers, lack of school infrastructure and family attitudes towards sports participation as the primary factors driving the disparity in Taekwondo training and competitive participation between government and private school students.