The lack of women in graduate-level jobs in sport may be because of a lack of supply. Based on data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK (UCAS, 2017), the number of females applying and being accepted onto sport and exercise science courses is low. These figures are also decreasing. In 2016, 29% of applicants were female, compared to in 2007, when 34% were female; the same percentages were observed for acceptances (UCAS, 2017). In the US, there is a distinct lack of gender diversity in sport management programmes (as well as disproportion of Faculty/staff members), with nearly 40% of sport management programmes having a female student ratio of less than 20% (Floyd Jones, Brooks, & Mak, 2008). The low numbers of females completing sport-related degrees may contribute to the inequalities observed in the labour market. To explore why there are fewer females than males on sport-related courses and in sport-related employment at senior level, researchers have examined perceived barriers through interviews and questionnaires. Some similar theories have emerged from these studies to explain this gender disparity, including: gender stereotyping and gender discrimination; a perceived lack of self-confidence amongst females in achieving career success (Hartmann &
Drawing on the US military experience it can be argued that sport in the UK and other parts of the world should be more widely recognized as a component of rehabilitation. This is not just for the role that sport can play as a tool for rehabilitation but also for the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits that participation in elite sport can offer.
This book looks at a relatively new topic in sports research and one that is clearly not the most straightforward in which to collect evidence. While Brackenridge is careful to tell the reader that this is a 'work in progress', she leaves you in no doubt that it is a topic that needs to be taken seriously by everyone interested in sport. She states that, in particular, further research is needed into whether race or ethnicity affects sexual exploitation and the rates of intra-familial abuse in sport. However, these issues are not tackled in this book, mainly due to the absence of sports research into these topics, but also because, Brackenridge argues, while most research looks at intra-familial abuse, sport provides an excellent opportunity to study extra-familial abuse.The book is split into four parts. The first, 'Context and Scope', sets out the origins of sexual abuse of children and the research that has been carried out into it. Brackenridge starts by outlining her reasons for publishing this text, when she clearly feels additional research is needed before we can fully understand how and why sexual abuse occurs in sport. One of the reasons is that an academic text, based on the development of theory, is required to balance the recent publication of more journalistic accounts that mostly explore North American sport. In addition, she feels that the book, which is influenced by the feminist desire to challenge gender exploitation, will help to question the way modern sport is structured.While chapter 2 sets the scene, the third chapter in this first section looks at how a number of key terms and definitions are used in the published work into sexual abuse and explains their meanings. She includes several useful tables to explore the language of sexual exploitation, such as grooming, the differences between personal and institutional abuse and a summary of defence strategies by both the abuser and abused. The final chapter of the first part provides the reader with an overview of research into sexual exploitation both in and out of sport and the limitations of such work. The aim of the chapter is to reflect the fact that multiple stakeholders have a role and responsibility in any sexually exploitative environment. Brackenridge identifies these as Parents/Carers and Siblings, Police and Social Services, Sports Clubs and Organizations, Media, Sports Scientists, Team Managers etc., Peer Athletes, Coaches, Leaders and Teachers. Within this chapter there is a very useful table that compares previous research on sexual exploitation in sport by date, country analysed, sample
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