We consider the gender aspect of the completion of professional career by high-performance athletes, actualized as a result of sociological research conducted in 2022–2023 at the Department of General Sociology and Social Work of National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod with the help of questionnaires and interviewing of high-performance athletes (n1 = 400 people, n2 = 31 people), expert interview (n3 = 6 people). Using the theoretical and methodological basis (conceptual model of adaptation to the conditions of life outside of sport by J. Taylor and B. Ogilvy, the concept of social space by P. Bourdieu), we compare the characteristics of the process of completing the sports career of men and women disintegrating from high-performance sport. The result reveals, first, a deficit of post-sport planning strategy, predominantly characteristic for men; second, a more positive perception of the stage of sports career completion by the female audience, which is due to the availability of post-sport planning strategy. Third, athletes’ preparation for the post-sport stage is gender symmetric and is associated with the acquisition of a high level of education and qualification, a new profession, and the accumulation of material and financial resources predominantly by women. Fourth, gender asymmetry extends to such reasons for unexpected quitting as conflicts with coach and teammates, lack of motivation, unfavorable contract terms, and underfunding. Fifth, there is a rather deep integration of female athletes in the field of sport, based on a strong emotional connection with the coach, which results in a poor understanding of life outside of sport, which, as a rule, causes emotional discomfort in the post-sport period. Sixth, the need for support is predominantly experienced by injured female athletes, who are more likely to be supported by family members. Having recourse to family support, male athletes also benefit from the support of state structures. Taking into account gender forms of behavioral practices at the stage of completion of sports career will reduce the number of maladapted athletes, contributing to the painless integration of actors into a new social reality for them
Keywords
high performance athletes, athletic career, stage of completion of athletic career, characteristics of stage of completion of athletic career