Identifying and prioritizing the barriers for women's sports activities

These days physical activities and exercise are the most important parts of government’s strategic (macro) plans for almost whole the population of society. The importance of this issue is also more obvious for women who have the duty of growing future generations. But tendency to do physical activities among women in the current situation is too low. Therefore the purpose of this study firstly is to identifying the barriers which women in Semnan City are facing with them in their sport activities and then prioritizing these barriers are the second goal of this research. Thus، initially the barriers were classified into five categories and they were prioritizing by using Analytical Hierarchy Process. The results show that “the lack of attention to women''s sports by Officials”، “the existence of male-centered culture”، “lack of time”، “the economic situation and lack of necessary investment in the development of sports facilities for women” are the most important obstacles in each of these five categories. According to the Results، it can be suggested that women have more responsibilities and participation in physical activities programs. In addition the enough budgets should be allocated to them as equal as men’s. Officials in the area of sport also should find good solutions for social pathology especially for changing male-centered culture. Sport expenses should be place in Iranian Household consumption basket، by using extensive and targeted adverting.