Dr.Hab., Professor O.N. Stepanova¹
D.O. Moreev¹
D.P. Stepanova¹PhD, Associate Professor E.N. Latushkina^2
1Moscow State Pedagogical University, Moscow
²Russian State Social University, Moscow

Keywords: women’s football, women’s weightlifting, single-sex sports, image.

Background. One of the key trends in the development of the modern Olympic movement is the commitment to gender equality. The increasing role of women was noted by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) T. Bach, who emphasized that the proportion of women participating in the Tokyo Olympics would reach 50% [3]. In 2020, women would be competing in certain types of shooting and sailing competitions for the first time ever. The Olympic program now includes new weight categories in women’s boxing, and the number of weight categories in men’s and women’s weightlifting disciplines has been equalized.

Nowadays, the IOC is heading for gender equality, which calls for the popularization of single-sex sports in our country. However, recent researches have shown that a sport cannot be successfully popularized without comprehensive information on how its targeted audience takes it [1]. The target group of the current study was made of students as future parents, who would shortly be shaping sports interests in their children.

Objective of the study was to identify the peculiarities of perception and develop the statistical (factor) models of the image of women’s Olympic disciplines in single-sex sports.

Methods and structure of the study. At the first stage of the study, we interviewed 124 students of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration and 99 students of the Russian State Social University, considered as potential parents of future female athletes. The respondents were asked to present their associations and opinions on women’s football and women’s weightlifting. Proceeding from the data obtained, we developed 40 bipolar semantic differential scales for football and 31 - for weightlifting. At the second stage of the study, the same students were asked to assess their attitude to the above sports according to the developed semantic differential scales. The data obtained were subjected to a factorial analysis based on the common Varimax rotation criterion. As a result of the factorization, we developed the statistical models of the image of two women's Olympic disciplines - football and weightlifting.

Results and discussion. Tables 1 and 2 represent the results of evaluation of the Olympic disciplines on the bipolar semantic differential scales.

Table 1 shows that in the students' perception women's football appears, on the one hand (positive side), as an "emotional", "energetic", "dynamic", "spectacular", "accessible", "evolving", "humane", "healthful", "suitable for women" sport; on the other (negative) - as an "unpopular", "unusual", "difficult", "traumatic", "tough", "mannish" and "low-intellectual" sport. It should be noted that out of 40 characteristics of football, 16 (40%) were favorably received. 

Table 1. Psychosemantic image-building profile of women's football (n=124)

Note. Average estimates of the characteristics on the scale from -3 to +3

Table 2 shows that women's weightlifting is seen by the students, on the one hand, as a sport that "tempers character", "strengthens health", being "modern", "great", "healthful", "Olympic", "noted for the successes of the domestic athletes"; on the other - as a "physically complex", "traumatic", "low-intellectual", "unsuitable for women", "ugly", "spoiling women's figure", "associated with doping scandals", "unpopular" sport. Despite the fact that the total number of positively assessed characteristics of women's weightlifting (16) exceeded that of negative estimates (15), such characteristics as "I would engage my daughter in weightlifting" was assessed most negatively (-1.97), which indicated the forthcoming difficulties in the process of popularization of this sport discipline.

Table 2. Psychosemantic image-building profile of female weightlifters (n=99)

Note. Average estimates of the characteristics on the scale from -3 to +3

The data obtained during the survey were subjected to a factorial analysis based on the common Varimax rotation criterion, which enabled to build a statistical model of image of women's football and women's weightlifting (Table 3).

Table 3. Factor model of image of women's football women's weightlifting

Note. Components with specific weights above 0.6

As Table 3 shows, the statistical model of the image of women's weightlifting includes 7 components (groups of characteristics): 1) "emotional intensity", explaining 18.465% of the total sample variance and characterized by such features as "fancy", "spectacular", "suitable for women", "interesting", "I take it positively", "shaping a good body", "great", and "normal"; 2) "fashion" with a specific weight of 9.592% and including 2 elements - "modern" and "noted for the successes of the Russian female athletes"; 3) "simplicity", explaining 7.949% of the total sample variance and including such features as "physically easy" and "doping-free"; 4) "popularity" with a specific weight of 7.184% and represented by 2 variables - "popular" and "well covered by the media"; 5) "evolution" ("tempers character and develops volitional qualities"), which has a factor load of 6.483%; 6) "gender equality" ("treats women on par with men") with a specific weight of 6.174%; 7) "accessibility" ("financially accessible") with a factor load of 4.920%.

The factor model of the image of women's football is represented by 5 components: 1) "emotional intensity" with the explained sample variance, including such characteristics as "creative", "highly intelligent", "I would engage my daughter in football", "suitable for women", "I take it positively", "with good prospects", "reputable", "feminine", and "evolving"; 2) "activity" with a specific weight of 11.734% and characterized by such variables as "energetic", "traumatic", "dynamic", "smooth", "powerful", and "professional"; 3) "popularity" with a contribution to the total sample variance of 10.626% and including such characteristics as "renowned", "popular", and "habitual"; 4) "spectacularity", explaining 8.208% of the total sample variance and formed by 3 characteristics: "spectacular", "intriguing", and "interesting"; 5) "prestige" giving 5.942% of the total sample variance and combining 2 features - "recognized" and "well paid".

It should be noted that, given the similarity of the indicators of the total sample variance, the image of women's weightlifting is more differentiated in the perception of students, as it is represented by a greater number of factors. In terms of the statistical models, there are both similar components ("emotional intensity" and "popularity", although they have different specific weights) and factors reflecting the specific perception of each of the sport disciplines ("activity", "spectacularity", and "prestige" in football and "fashion", "simplicity", "evolution", "gender equality", and "accessibility" in weightlifting). In addition, the specific weights of individual characteristics of sport are different.

Conclusions. The work on improving the image of both women's disciplines should be carried out in two directions: on the one hand, there is a need to reinforce and target positive messages to the targeted audiences; on the other hand, strategies to overcome negative attitudes should be developed. According to the findings, the image strategies of "marketing of iconic figures", "transformation of negative to positive" (variants: "reasonable negation of negative sides" or "presentation of negative sides as features and advantages of the sport"), "current of positive images", "binding" the image of the sport to successfully implemented images of other sport disciplines can have the greatest effect.

References

1. Ponomarev I.E., Strieva L.Yu., Samygin S.I. Popularization of physical culture and sports in Russian society as a factor in formation of value orientations of youth. Gumanitarnye, sotsialno-ekonomicheskie i obshchestvennye nauki. 2018.no. 3. pp. 61-64.
2. Stepanova D.P. Positive image building technology in application to sport discipline. Fizicheskaya kultura: vospitanie, obrazovanie, trenirovka.2018. no. 6. pp. 41-42.
3. Tokyo 2020 event programme to see major boost for female participation, youth and urban appeal. https://www.olympic.org/news/tokyo-2020-event-programme-to-see-major-boost-for-female-participation-youth-and-urban-appeal.

Corresponding author: stepanova.olga.75@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective of the study was to identify the peculiarities of perception and develop the statistical (factor) models of the image of women’s Olympic disciplines in single-sex sports.
Methods and structure of the study. At the first stage of the study, we interviewed 124 students of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration and 99 students of the Russian State Social University, considered as potential parents of future female athletes. The respondents were asked to present their associations and opinions on women’s football and women’s weightlifting. Proceeding from the data obtained, we developed 40 bipolar semantic differential scales for football and 31 - for weightlifting. At the second stage of the study, the same students were asked to assess their attitude to the above sports according to the developed semantic differential scales. The data obtained were subjected to a factorial analysis based on the common Varimax rotation criterion. As a result of the factorization, we developed the statistical models of the image of two women's Olympic disciplines - football and weightlifting.
Results of the study and conclusions. The analysis of the mentioned sports on the bipolar semantic differential scales showed that in the students' perception women's football appears, on the one hand (positive side), as an "emotional", "energetic", "dynamic", "spectacular", "accessible", "evolving", "humane", "healthy", "suitable for women" sport; on the other (negative) - as an "unpopular", "unusual", "difficult", "traumatic", "tough", "mannish" and "low-intellectual" sport. Women's weightlifting is seen by the students, on the one hand, as a sport that "tempers character", "strengthens health", "modern", "great", "healthful", "Olympic", "noted for the successes of the domestic athletes"; on the other - as a "physically complex", "traumatic", "low-intellectual", "unsuitable for women", "ugly", "spoiling women's figure", "associated with doping scandals", "unpopular" sport.

The factor model of the image of women's football includes five groups of features characterizing "emotional intensity", "activity", "popularity", "spectacularity" and "prestige" of the sport. The image profile of women's weightlifting is represented by seven components: "emotional intensity", "fashion", "simplicity", "popularity", "cultivation", "gender equality", "accessibility".
The data obtained can serve as reference data for the development of the programs: a) image correction and b) winning positioning and popularization of women's football and women's weightlifting among students as potential parents of young female athletes.