Sexual harassment in sports: insights from female athletes in Pakistan

Sexual harassment stems from both sexual feelings and hostility toward the victim. In sports, this problem has been largely overlooked by researchers and scholars, despite its prevalence in society. This phenomenon is allowed to occur due to the socially formed beliefs, myths, and norms that exist, and sports is no exception. This study explores the risk factors behind sexual harassment behavior in sports, with a particular emphasis on female football athletes' perception. The study aims to develop a more comprehensive framework using neo-institutional theory. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and a snowball sampling method was used to select nine participants who were female athletes. Focus group discussions with ten open-ended questions were carried out, and thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that athletes were committed to their field and unveiled some thoughts that emerged as different themes. These themes are the actual risk factors that contribute to sexual harassment, such as organizational climate, low self-esteem, gender stereotype of sports, benevolent sexism, coach power, and hostile sexism factors. The study also identified advanced strategies that could help reduce sexual harassment in sports. The study's implications are significant for researchers and policymakers alike, and the findings can be used to develop interventions to prevent sexual harassment in sports. However, further research is necessary to understand how sexual harassment negatively affects female athletes' achievement opportunities and psychological well-being in sports settings in Pakistan.