Women in sports leadership: A systematic narrative review

Abstract

Gender inequity in sport organisation boards, particularly in decision-making positions, remains a significant issue. Considerable research exists on the topic yet attempts to integrate non-academic perspectives on this literature are relatively limited. We present a systematic narrative review, constructed in conjunction with the work of a ‘reflective panel’ which included sport, business and academic professionals from Europe and North America. The panel helped to inform the search strategy and reflected upon the narrative produced. In total, 154 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and grey literature publications were included. The resultant narrative is presented according to several scales of abstraction; macro-scale studies of global/national trends; meso-scale studies of processes (re)producing gender inequity; and microscopic studies of lived experiences of gender inequity. There is consensus in the literature that, globally, women continue to be under-represented in leadership positions. Patriarchal selection practices and organisational cultures reinforce this inequity, despite evidence that men in leadership roles recognise the problem. While gender equity policies exist, actions to pursue gender equity are more limited. Patriarchal language, gendered stereotypes and person-profiling still persist, resulting in specific emotional and practical challenges for women in sports leadership positions. The reflective panel recognised an over-representation of studies from a liberal ‘Western’ tradition that conceptualises gender inequity in a specific socio-cultural and political way. Studies also often overlook the effects of the intersectionality. Finally, we suggest areas for further research, including a need to understand the electoral procedures of sports organisations beyond ‘formal’ channels, to better understand women’s lived experiences of inequity and to investigate the experiences of women who either step down or are not appointed to leadership positions.

The impact of gender quotas in sport management: the case of Spain

“…According to data from the Sydney Scoreboard, [1] on global average women account for 20% of board directors, 16% of chief executives and 11% of board chairs (also named 'board members', 'board presidents' and 'general secretaries' respectively in some countries such as Spain) (Adriaanse 2015, 149). The weak presence of women in the high ranks of sport management stands in stark contrast to the increasing presence of girls and women among sport practitioners and elite athletes in the last decades (Burton and Leberman 2017, 1-2;Evans and Pfister 2020).…”

Policy and politics of women’s sport and women in sport

“…In the social sciences, humanities and management disciplines of sport (as opposed to sport sciences, e.g. physiological demands and player physical characteristics), this growth has been highlighted by several recent literature reviews (Burton 2015, Fink 2015, Valenti et al 2018, Hartzell and Dixon 2019, Evans and Pfister 2020. Another illustration of this growing trend is provided by special issues in academic journals focusing on women's sport and women in sport.…”

Women in collective sports modalities: An overview of technical and management positions in Brazilian Confederations

“…Existe un consenso en la literatura de que las mujeres continúan estando infrarrepresentadas en los puestos de liderazgo, y que aún persisten en nuestra sociedad un lenguaje patriarcal y los estereotipos de género y el perfil profesional deseado, lo que plantea desafíos prácticos y emocionales a las mujeres que buscan puestos de liderazgo en deporte (Evans & Pfister, 2020). La investigación tuvo como objetivo obtener una visión general de los puestos de liderazgo ocupados por mujeres en los comités técnicos y en la gestión de las Confederaciones Deportivas Brasileñas de modalidades colectivas olímpicas.…”