The Role of Sport in Strengthening Women’s Social Inclusion

Gholami, Ali Naghi; Zare, Alireza

doi:10.22089/rws.2025.4684

The Role of Sport in Strengthening Women’s Social Inclusion

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ali Naghi Gholami ¹

alireza zare ²

¹ Assistant professor, Sports Management department, Payame–Noor University, Iran

² Department of Physical Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22089/rws.2025.4684

Abstract

Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
The research issue in the field of social inclusion and education through sport for women is a complex and multidimensional issue that addresses the social, cultural, economic, and physical aspects related to women in various societies. This issue is of particular importance in societies where women face multiple barriers to participation in sports activities—such as developing societies, traditional cultures, and environments with negative attitudes toward women’s sports.
In this research, social inclusion in sport is analyzed with a focus on promoting gender equality, improving the social, psychological, and physical status of female athletes, as well as examining the role of education through sport in strengthening their individual and social skills. The research environment includes institutions, social structures, sports programs, and target communities, all of which directly or indirectly affect the process of social inclusion and education through sport.
At the macro level, the problem environment includes government policies, social and cultural structures of societies that can directly affect the provision of equal opportunities for women in sports. This research aims to identify the challenges and opportunities in this field in order to effectively explain the role of sports in the social and individual development of women. Female athletes are considered the main beneficiaries of this research. This study attempts to identify the barriers and opportunities that affect their participation in sports activities and analyze the role of social inclusion in promoting their individual and social capabilities. As a result, this research examines the role of sports in strengthening women's social inclusion and how to create equal opportunities for their active participation in sports.

Methods
The present study is of an applied type and was conducted with a qualitative and exploratory-descriptive approach. The aim of this research is to identify and model the role of sport in strengthening the social inclusion of women. In the first stage, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 experts in the field of sports management. These individuals were selected based on criteria such as specialized education, academic background, familiarity with gender issues in sports, and executive experience. Sampling was carried out purposively and using the snowball method to achieve theoretical saturation of the data. The interviews were conducted in person and with high flexibility so that the questions could be adapted to the research objectives during the conversation. The data from the first stage were coded and categorized using qualitative content analysis. This analysis led to the extraction of concepts and components of the conceptual model of the role of sport in the social inclusion of women. Then, in the second stage, a questionnaire was designed based on the results of the first stage and presented to the experts to determine the relationships and effects between the components using the structural-interpretive modeling method. This questionnaire included pairwise comparisons between items, and the experts determined the type and extent of relationships. In terms of time, the study was conducted cross-sectionally, and given its focus on the field of sports management, it can also be considered a case study. The validity of the qualitative data was ensured through strict adherence to the interview process, precise coding, alignment of questions with the research objectives, and review by the participants. For the reliability of the tools, a retest was conducted on a sample of the interviews after 10 days, which showed that the reliability of the codings was more than 90 percent, which is above the acceptable level. The reliability of the structural-interpretive modeling questionnaire was also confirmed with regard to the internal consistency of the responses. Finally, the results of this study include a structural model that shows the components that influence the promotion of women's social inclusion through sport in a hierarchical manner and with the degree of influence and impact. This model helps sports managers and policymakers to pay special attention to the role of sport in promoting women's social inclusion in their planning and policy-making. By emphasizing the importance of expert participation and the use of valid qualitative methods, the study has provided a scientific and practical framework for studying the role of sport in social issues.
Results
The results of qualitative content analysis showed that the model of the role of sport in strengthening women's social inclusion was classified into 8 general categories, 25 subcategories, and 251 concepts. The findings show that the factors of "use of sports infrastructure and facilities", "education and empowerment", and "financial support and economic resources" have high influence. Also, categories such as "media and social coverage", "management and leadership", and "culturization and public education" have high dependency. "Organizing and promoting women's sports competitions" and "social acceptance and participation" both have high influence and dependency.

Conclusion
The results of the study show that the role of sport in strengthening women's social inclusion is explained through eight general categories, twenty-five subcategories, and more than two hundred concepts. Among them, the use of sports infrastructure and facilities, education and empowerment, and financial support were identified as components with high influence that can create widespread changes in the process of social inclusion. Also, the media, management and leadership, and culture building act as strong dependent factors that are more influenced by other components. Holding women's sports competitions and social acceptance are also key components that simultaneously have high influence and dependence and play an important role in deepening social inclusion. These results show that in order to promote women's social inclusion in sports, it is necessary to simultaneously strengthen infrastructure, education, financial support, and culture building in order to achieve a sustainable and widespread impact.
Key Words: Social Inclusion, Women’s Sports, Policymaking.

Article Message
Sports plays an effective role in strengthening women's social inclusion by providing infrastructure, education, and economic support.

Ethical Considerations
Ethical considerations: In this study, ethical considerations including informed consent of participants, maintaining confidentiality of information, and adherence to the principles of honesty and integrity in data analysis were observed.
Authors’ Contributions
In this study, ethical considerations including informed consent of participants, maintaining confidentiality of information, and observing the principles of honesty and trustworthiness in data analysis have been observed.
Conceptualization: Ali Naghi Gholami, Alireza Zare
Data Collection: Ali Naghi Gholami
Data Analysis: Ali Naghi Gholami, Alireza Zare
Manuscript Writing: Alireza Zare
Review and Editing: Ali Naghi Gholami
Responsible for funding: Alireza Zare
Literature Review: Ali Naghi Gholami
Project Manager: Ali Naghi Gholami, Alireza Zare
Any other Contributions: Any Other Contributions: Joint Collaboration in Designing the Conceptual Model
Conflict of Interest
According to the authors, this article does not have any conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the experts and managers in the field of sports who sincerely cooperated in conducting this research.

Keywords

Social inclusion

women's sports

policymaking

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