Abuse of power influencing sexual harassment behaviour in Pakistani sports

Purpose The prevalence of sexual harassment (SH) in Pakistan can be traced back to deeply ingrained cultural ideas, myths and practices that justify and normalize such behavior. This prevalence justifies the need to uncover the factors behind this phenomenon.  As a result, a more detailed mechanism of how and why abuse of power (AOP) can influence female athletes' perceptions of SH behaviors is needed. This study aims to investigate the indirect effects of gender stereotyping in sports (GSS) and benevolent sexism (BS) using sequential mediation. Design/methodology/approach We collected data from 398 female athletes at football sports clubs in Pakistan. The SEM-PM technique was applied to determine whether these factors are linked to an increased risk of female athlete SH. Findings The direct relationship between AOP and SH was discovered to be positive and significantly associated with SH, where GSS and BS sequentially mediate the relationship between AOP and SH. Research limitations/implications This research provided valuable insights and data related to perceptions of athletes of SH in sports in Pakistan that can lead to the development of effective policies and introduce preventative measures. By addressing this problem, study advises sports governance officers and directors to establish policies, protocols and procedures, including periodic training and dissemination of the policy, subsequent review of its effectiveness, and successful reactions to sexual contact. To ensure that criminal and disciplinary provisions are applied by providing specialized training to the staff of sports organizations. Originality/value Primary data collection and analysis were focused.