Athletic career termination in females

Abstract

Athletic career termination is understood to be a challenging process, where athletes often report experiencing a sense of loss, and find adaptation to a life after sport challenging. The way in which athletes cope with the demands of the athletic career termination can lead them to experience a smooth, healthy career transition, reflecting successful coping (Alfermann & Stambulova, 2012), or a crisis transition marked by a variety of psychopathological behaviours and social difficulties (Taylor & Ogilvie, 1994). Their experiences are influenced by national-, cultural-, sport-, and gender-specific norms, which can lead to a diversity of outcomes. Of interest is the research examining gender differences in retirement from sport. For example, females report voluntary retirement for family reasons more often than do males. Females are also more likely to experience body dissatisfaction in retirement due to discrepancies between their current and former bodies, which ultimately brings about negative, emotional consequences. Many female athletes, however, find a new focus, a new perspective, and a new identity on retirement – especially among those who retire to start or add to a family. This new focus facilitates adaptation and makes the process of retirement from sport less emotionally taxing, promoting positive mental health and ‘flourishing’.