ASSESSMENT OF THE CHALLENGES AND WAYS OF OVERCOMING THEM BY WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS DURING FEDERATION OF EASTERN AFRICA UNIVERSITY SPORTS (FEAUS) WOMEN GAMES IN UGANDA

Abstract

Involvement in sports for women and men teaches critical lessons on discipline, goal setting, communication and work ethics that are widely transferable and often translate into successful careers down the line. Since men's control of women's physical activity has been at the heart of masculine hegemony, sports have been a highly gendered social sphere. For a long time, women were denied the right to engage in physical exercise for reasons of health, that is, the alleged physical “weakness” of women's bodies or detrimental effects on the fertility of women, chastity or threats to the “natural order” of sexes (Meier, 2020). This study described the challenges and ways of overcoming them by women who participate in sports during Federation of Eastern Africa University Sports (FEAUS) Women Games in Uganda held at Busitema University. In particular, the study described the challenges faced by women who participate in sports and ways of overcoming challenges faced by female sports participants. The study used a cross-sectional survey design using the quantitative and qualitative approaches on a sample of 95 respondents. Data were collected by the use of self-administered questionnaires and an interview guide. The data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data analysis involved the calculation of descriptive statistics namely, frequencies, percentages and means for analysis. Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The study found out that, marginalization, fear of injuries, long distances, lack of privacy around facilities, insecurity, family issues, lack of finance, lack of family support, unstable relationships, sexual harassment by male coaches, lack of time and menstrual challenges affected women participation in sports. Ways of overcoming challenges faced by women who participate in sports mainly involved; the need for professional and female coaches, family support, good feeding, financial support, better facilities, good attire, incentives for the female athlete, improvisation in sports, guidance and counselling, having extra jobs, commitment to training, exposure, government policy on women empowerment in sports, sparing time for sports committing to rules of the sport and fair play and involvement of the non-governmental organizations to support women in sports. Therefore, it was recommended that policymakers should ensure that women are empowered in sports to give them the freedom to sports participation both at home, workplaces and in the field. Managers of sports should ensure players attain full security of the players and adopt tactics that reduce fear of injuries. Management of organisations sports that involve women should provide quality playing fields, give clear instructions, provide players adequate attention and advocate the full implementation of counselling female students. Management of organisations with female sports teams should engage females in sports jobs in the sports associations and also connect them outside sports and collaborate with non-governmental organizations that support and promote women’s rights, resilience and confidence.

Article visualizations: