From Individual Health to Structural Justice in Women’s Sport
The Spring 1405 issue of Women’s Sport Research brings together a set of studies which, despite differences in topic and method, are connected by a shared focus within the diverse field of sports science: women’s sport can contribute to health promotion, sustained participation, successful performance, and empowerment only when women’s biological, psychological, family, social, and organizational conditions are considered simultaneously. The articles in this issue examine women’s sport not merely as a physical activity, but as a multidimensional phenomenon linked to quality of life, social support, family roles, management opportunities, media representation, and gender justice.
One of the studies in this issue is devoted to the role of exercise interventions in improving women’s health and quality of life. The article on aquatic Pilates shows that eight weeks of training in an aquatic environment can increase happiness and pain self-efficacy in women with chronic low back pain. The significance of this finding lies in demonstrating that the benefits of exercise extend beyond pain reduction and physical function. When an exercise program strengthens women’s confidence in their ability to manage pain, perform daily activities, and move without fear, it also creates the conditions for better adaptation to illness and improved quality of life. The aquatic environment, by reducing mechanical stress and creating a sense of safety, can provide a suitable setting for women who have been kept away from physical activity by pain or fear of movement.
In a similar vein, the study on infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome highlights the potential of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to improve quality of life. The findings indicate that HIIT, whether performed alone or combined with nano-curcumin, can improve emotional well-being, weight perception, infertility-related concerns, and menstrual disorders, even in the absence of significant reductions in body weight. This result underscores the importance of a multidimensional view of exercise outcomes. The success of an exercise intervention should not be assessed solely by anthropometric changes; improvements in perceived control over illness, psychological status, hopefulness, and quality of life must also be central to evaluation.
However, access to the benefits of exercise depends not only on having an appropriate training program, but also on the possibility of participation. The article on new mothers shows that reductions in physical activity after childbirth are caused less by lack of awareness than by a set of interconnected barriers. The pressure of motherhood and housework, lack of time, absence of support for childcare, physical and psychological challenges after childbirth, the cost of exercise services, and the lack of mother-and-child-friendly spaces all restrict opportunities for exercise. Therefore, recommendations to exercise will be effective only if they are accompanied by family support, redistribution of responsibilities, appropriate infrastructure, financial support, and the integration of physical activity counseling into postpartum care services. This article clearly shows that women’s right to care for themselves must be recognized as part of family and community health.
The issue of support also plays a central role in the article on women’s sports performance. The findings show that social support is associated with perceived sports performance in women athletes both directly and indirectly through the enhancement of intrinsic motivation. Accordingly, motivation cannot be seen as merely an individual trait. Family members, coaches, clubs, and sports organizations can strengthen sustainable motivation in athletes by creating a sense of safety, respect, recognition, and companionship. In contrast, the absence of support can lead even capable athletes to reduced motivation, impaired performance, and withdrawal from sport. Thus, the development of women’s sport requires a network of emotional, social, and organizational support alongside technical and training programs.
This perspective, moving from the individual and the immediate environment to the organizational and structural level, is extended in two further articles. The study modeling women’s empowerment in sports management, with emphasis on the role of media, shows that women’s effective presence in managerial positions results from the interaction of individual, organizational, cultural, and media-related factors. Media can facilitate empowerment by highlighting women’s competencies and achievements, correcting public attitudes, and introducing female managerial role models. Yet the media’s role becomes sustainable only when it is accompanied by structural reform, equal opportunities, education, support from senior managers, and a justice-oriented organizational culture. Women’s empowerment in sports management cannot be achieved solely by emphasizing individual abilities; it requires changes in policy and organizational opportunity structures.
The article examining perceptions of gender inequality addresses this issue from another angle. Its findings indicate that women athletes’ perceptions of inequality are not simply a reflection of a lack of facilities or resources, but are associated with quality of life, socioeconomic status, age, and level of awareness. Increased awareness and improved welfare conditions may heighten women’s sensitivity to discrimination and gender-based restrictions. From this perspective, fewer reports of inequality do not necessarily mean that inequality is less prevalent; rather, the normalization of limitations or low expectations may shape individuals’ perceptions. Therefore, corrective policies must focus not only on the fair distribution of resources, but also on legal and gender education, organizational transparency, fair media representation, and the reform of cultural stereotypes.
Taken together, the articles in this issue form a coherent conceptual chain. This chain begins with improving women’s health and quality of life, continues through enabling participation in physical activity and receiving social support, and ultimately reaches managerial empowerment and gender justice within the sports structure. The shared message of these studies is that the development of women’s sport cannot be achieved through a single intervention or a limited policy. This goal requires coordination among families, the health system, clubs, media outlets, sports organizations, and policymaking institutions.
It is hoped that the findings of this issue will not only expand scientific knowledge in the field of women’s sport, but also foster deeper dialogue among researchers, health professionals, managers, and policymakers, and guide future research toward multi-level studies, practical interventions, and evidence-based policies. We sincerely thank the authors, reviewers, and all colleagues whose scientific dedication and hard work contributed to the publication of this issue.
Shahzad Tahmasebi (Ph.D)
Editor-in-Chief, Women’s Sport Research
