The Consequences of Sports Empowerment on the Accumulation of Social Capital and Personal Autonomy of Female Citizens: A Grounded Theory Study with a Smart Urban Governance Approach

Abstract

Despite the growing emphasis on the importance of sports participation, the exact process of translating the micro-level physical achievements of female citizens into structural authority, macro-level social capital, and participation in urban management remains a profound theoretical gap. Accordingly, the current research was conducted aiming to explore the hidden mechanisms underlying the consequences of female citizens' sports empowerment and how this capability spills over into the accumulation of social capital, personal autonomy, and civic activism in urban spaces. Adopting an interpretive paradigm, this qualitative study applied the Grounded Theory strategy using the systematic approach of Corbin and Strauss (2015). Empirical data were collected through 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with athletes, professional coaches, and sports and urban policymakers selected via purposeful and theoretical sampling techniques until theoretical saturation was strictly achieved. The rigorous data analysis process, progressing systematically through open, axial, and selective coding phases, resulted in the extraction of 58 open codes and 5 macro categories. The research findings revealed that the empowerment pathway is dynamically formulated through three distinct mechanisms: "internalization of agency", "mutual validation, platform development, and civic capital conversion", and "spatial activism, civic capacity building, and soft friction". Consequently, the core category and final theory were conceptualized as "Cumulative Empowerment: Transition from Bodily Agency to Structural and Civic Agency". The results of the present study indicate that the empowerment process is an interactive and ascending trajectory; the female subject initially establishes agency through bodily reclamation in the sports environment, then converts this capability and physical authority into macro-level social capital via networking and the utilization of digital platforms, and ultimately transfers acquired leadership and advocacy skills organically to the family institution, the workplace, and local decision-making institutions. Ultimately, sport functions far beyond a mere competitive arena, serving as a powerful strategic catalyst to cultivate civic actors, realize spatial justice, and institutionalize participatory governance.