Being a woman in sports arenas: the relationship between gender role stress and sports motivation

TL;DR

This study explores how gender role stress affects the motivation of female athletes, finding a significant but small link between the two.

Contribution

The study provides new empirical evidence on the relationship between gender role stress and sport motivation in female athletes.

Findings

Female gender role stress significantly but weakly influences motivational regulation dimensions.

Years of sports experience correlate with identified, integrated, and intrinsic motivation.

A positive relationship exists between gender role stress and sport motivation dimensions.

Abstract

Gender roles continue to shape women’s participation and experiences in sport, often imposing psychological pressures that influence their performance and motivation. Understanding how gender role-related stress affects female athletes’ motivation is essential for promoting equitable and supportive sport environments. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which female athletes’ perceptions of gender role stress influence their sport motivation.

This study employed a relational survey design. The study group consisted of 138 female participants studying at a faculty of sport sciences and engaged in various sports branches. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Female Gender Role Stress Scale, and the Sport Motivation Scale. The data obtained in the study were analyzed using the SPSS package program. Normality analyses revealed that the data exhibited a normal distribution. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and simple regression analyses were employed in the analysis process.

The regression analysis results revealed that female gender role stress had a low but significant associated effect on motivational regulation dimensions (identified regulation, integrated regulation, introjected regulation, and intrinsic motivation). In addition, the variable of years of sports experience was found to be significantly associated with identified, integrated, and intrinsic motivation.

A positive and significant relationship was observed between gender role-related stress among female athletes stress and the dimensions of sport motivation. These results may be related to the fact that women exhibit slightly higher motivation for sports when they experience stress due to their gender roles.