Sport Physiology & Management Investigations 1735.5354 Articles in Press 2026 07 07 Elite Women in Sports and Migration: An analysis of policies and consequences of gender inequality Elite Women in Sports and Migration: An analysis of policies and consequences of gender inequality 246821 10.22034/spmi.2026.584561.2866 FA Shirin Zardoshtian Associate Professor of Sports Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. 0000-0001-9494-3904 Neda Sarabi PhD student in sports management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. 0000-0001-9688-4768 Journal Article 2026 06 01 The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of gender policies and inequalities on the challenges and outcomes of migration among Iranian elite female athletes and to develop a conceptual model of this process. This research was conducted with a mixed exploratory approach. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 elite female athletes, elite female coaches, and academic experts using purposive and snowball sampling, and the data were analyzed using grounded theory (Glazer). In the quantitative phase, a researcher-made questionnaire was prepared based on the qualitative findings and distributed to 385 female athletes. The data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that the challenges of migration among elite female athletes fall into six main categories: economic, social, cultural, political, managerial, and psychological. The most important challenges included livelihood insecurity, lack of facilities, weakening of social status, gender discrimination and restrictions, legal restrictions, poor management, and lack of meritocracy and psychological stress. The consequences of migration were also identified in three main dimensions of weakening national sports, socio-cultural consequences, and economic-political consequences. The quantitative results confirmed the six-dimensional structure of challenges and the three-dimensional structure of consequences and showed that economic and political challenges of gender, along with socio-cultural consequences, played the greatest role in explaining migration. Accordingly, a review of women's sports support policies, strengthening meritocracy, developing infrastructure and psycho-professional support, and enhancing the media status of female athletes are suggested as implementation strategies to reduce women's sports migration. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of gender policies and inequalities on the challenges and outcomes of migration among Iranian elite female athletes and to develop a conceptual model of this process. This research was conducted with a mixed exploratory approach. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 elite female athletes, elite female coaches, and academic experts using purposive and snowball sampling, and the data were analyzed using grounded theory (Glazer). In the quantitative phase, a researcher-made questionnaire was prepared based on the qualitative findings and distributed to 385 female athletes. The data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that the challenges of migration among elite female athletes fall into six main categories: economic, social, cultural, political, managerial, and psychological. The most important challenges included livelihood insecurity, lack of facilities, weakening of social status, gender discrimination and restrictions, legal restrictions, poor management, and lack of meritocracy and psychological stress. The consequences of migration were also identified in three main dimensions of weakening national sports, socio-cultural consequences, and economic-political consequences. The quantitative results confirmed the six-dimensional structure of challenges and the three-dimensional structure of consequences and showed that economic and political challenges of gender, along with socio-cultural consequences, played the greatest role in explaining migration. Accordingly, a review of women's sports support policies, strengthening meritocracy, developing infrastructure and psycho-professional support, and enhancing the media status of female athletes are suggested as implementation strategies to reduce women's sports migration.