Termination of sporting careers among South African sportswomen

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Africa Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to determine the reasons why sportswomen compete at a high level in sport but terminate their sporting careers soon after school during the tertiary phase and prior to reaching their full potential. The second aim was to explore the impact of gender stereotyping in conjunction with the role of the media on the sportswomen in sport. A qualitative approach was utilized where 40 high level sportswomen completed a questionnaire that was specifically developed to identify the reasons why sportswomen terminate their sporting careers and to explore the role of gender stereotyping and the media. Results indicated that five of the most important reasons for sportswomen terminating their sporting careers are decreased motivation and interest in sport, coaching problems, academic pressure, injuries and politics in sport. A significant number of the subjects agreed that gender stereotyping in sport does exist and that the media contribute to gender inequalities in sport.

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Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Steyn, BJM & Slattery, CCO 2013, 'Termination of sporting careers among South African sportswomen', African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, vol. 19, no. 1, pp.1-11.