Termination of sporting careers among South African sportswomen

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.

Keywords: Elite sportswomen, terminate sporting careers, gender stereotyping and the media