Female Participation in Sports: Current Issues and Future Directions

Abstract

The participation of women in sports is an imperative issue today, concerning the developing countries where women's participation, their rights, and authority are radically repressed. The subject is vastly taking breadth in global research discourse in the current times when gender inclusiveness is a curial topic. In this context, the current research study was conducted to determine the factors influencing the sport participation tendency of university’s female student-athletes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province of Pakistan. Of the 38 universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two hundred and seventy (270) female athletes were randomly selected from 18 universities. To obtain relevant data on the topic, a structured questionnaire was developed after a thorough review of literature and direction by the field experts. The scoring procedure was done based on the 5-point Likert scale. After the omission of incomplete forms, two hundred and fifty (250) valid questionnaires were retained for data review. To test the hypotheses, appropriate statistical tests were applied including mean, standard deviation, and one sample t-test. Owing to multiple factors, including parental considerations, social pressures, cultural standards, and coaching and preparation, women's participation in sports is found to be decreased (p<.05) significantly. In conclusion, the study suggested ways of enhancing the participation of women athletes in sports in the region and especially in the conservative areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which ascribe to parental concerns and societal and cultural norms. Moreover, the study findings postulate that the coaching and training practices are substantially considered as motivating factors for all athletic efforts and accomplishments.