Presenting a Model and Explaining Ways to Reduce Gender Inequality in Iran’s Sports Management

The purpose of this research is to present a model to explain the ways to reduce gender inequality in Iran's sports management. Philosophically, this research is interpretationist and from the point of view of inductive approach. In terms of strategy, this study is a data base theory type and a qualitative research type. The data was obtained through interviews, and the statistical community consists of 15 experts in the field of sports management. The snowball method was used for sampling and the sampling continued until the theoretical saturation limit was reached. To collect information, a semi-structured interview was used, and in order to analyze the data, three overlapping processes of open coding, axial coding and theoretical coding were used. By considering the text of all the interviews in the open coding stage, 303 concepts were identified, and after combining similar codes, 23 concepts were obtained. Then, in the axial coding phase, ten main categories were determined. The results showed that the selection criteria for management positions in sports organizations are not fair due to cultural and individual reasons. It is suggested that the selection criteria be such that both hierarchy is considered and starting from the middle level; As a result, the laws should be adjusted in such a way that the presence of women in social and cultural fields, including sports activities, becomes more prominent and the selection of women is based on meritocracy and specialization.