the mental image of women’s sports among the Iraqi public. A survey study of the public in Baghdad.

Abstract

The research problem started from the researcher’s attempt to identify the mental image that members of Iraqi society have of women’s sports, which led us to ask the following research question: (What is) the mental image of women’s sports among the Iraqi public? The research aims to identify the nature of the prevailing mental image of women’s sports among the Iraqi public and to reveal society’s view of women in this field, and the reasons that contributed to the formation of the image among members of society. The researcher used the descriptive survey method, in addition to using the tool to measure the mental image, as it was formulated The items were presented to a group of specialists in media and sports. After taking into account the notes, the researcher prepared a scale form consisting of (40) items. The scale was distributed to the research sample of (440) individuals. This form was subjected to statistical analysis to extract the results, and the researcher arrived at a set of The most important results are that the public’s image of women’s sports was unclear and tended to be negative in some of its aspects and others to positive, meaning the image was blurry among the public. The results of the research indicated that men’s opportunities in the sports field are greater than women’s opportunities, and that the main reason why parents prevent their daughters from Practicing sports means social customs and traditions, as well as the religious and tribal nature of society, enable these women to enter the sports field.