Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: : A review of research
TL;DR: This article provided a multilevel examination of available scholarship that contributes to understanding why there are so few women in leadership positions within sport, including stereotyping of leaders, issues of discrimination, and gendered organizational cultures.
About: This article is published in Sport Management Review.The article was published on 2015-05-01. It has received 291 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Symbolic interactionism & Organizational culture.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: A comprehensive review of sport management leadership literature from the 1970s to the present day is presented in this article, outlining what has been learned, and then drawn from this synthesis, articulate a preliminary conceptual model capturing how leadership operates in sport management.
Abstract: Scholars have recognized the importance of leadership in the sport industry, with early sport leadership studies emerging in the 1970s. To date, however, there has not been a comprehensive review conducted of the scholarly leadership studies in sport management. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the sport management leadership literature from the 1970s to the present day, outline what has been learned, and then drawn from this synthesis, articulate a preliminary conceptual model capturing how leadership operates in sport management. A number of clear themes in sport management leadership research and conceptual thinking have emerged, with the proposed conceptual model advancing several leadership antecedents and processes unique to sport. Intriguing directions for sport management leadership scholarship are also illuminated. While progress has been made, there are many questions and gaps going forward that require focused attention from sport management leadership scholars
124 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that personal lives, relationships, social and family commitments were sidelined by many of the participants in order to meet the expectations of being a (woman) coach, and the complexities of identity are also revealed through the interplay of gender with disability, age and whiteness as evidence of hegemonic femininity within the coaching profession.
Abstract: In shifting our gaze to the sociological impact of being in the minority, the purpose of this study was to substantiate a model of gendered social well-being to appraise women coaches’ circumstances, experiences and challenges as embedded within the social structures and relations of their profession. This is drawn on in-depth interviews with a sample of head women coaches within the UK. The findings demonstrate that personal lives, relationships, social and family commitments were sidelined by many of the participants in order to meet the expectations of being a (woman) coach. We locate these experiences in the organisational practices of high performance sport which hinder women coaches from having meaningful control over their lives. The complexities of identity are also revealed through the interplay of gender with (dis)ability, age and whiteness as evidence of hegemonic femininity within the coaching profession. Consequently, for many women, coaching is experienced as a ‘developmental dead-end’.
52 citations
Cites background from "Underrepresentation of women in spo..."
...Indeed, the organisation of sport runs counter to fostering integration; instead, within most sports men and women are separated and the power base of most organisations (both for the men and women’s sports) remains white and male (e.g. Bower et al., 2015; Burton, 2015; Shaw and Hoeber, 2003; Shaw and Slack, 2002)....
[...]
...…of sport runs counter to fostering integration; instead, within most sports men and women are separated and the power base of most organisations (both for the men and women’s sports) remains white and male (e.g. Bower et al., 2015; Burton, 2015; Shaw and Hoeber, 2003; Shaw and Slack, 2002)....
[...]
TL;DR: Gender inequity in sport organisation boards, particularly in decision-making positions, remains a significant issue as mentioned in this paper and considerable research exists on the topic yet attempts to integrate non-academi...
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-academi...
50 citations
Cites background from "Underrepresentation of women in spo..."
...…experiences of leadership in sports organisations has focused upon the meanings participants attach to their experiences, their understanding of power dynamics, policies and operational procedures, and the assumptions they make during their interactions within their organisations (Burton, 2015)....
[...]
...of power dynamics, policies and operational procedures, and the assumptions they make during their interactions within their organisations (Burton, 2015)....
[...]
...This tendency has been described as a process of ‘homologous reproduction’, or the maintenance of influence by those in power by selecting those they perceive to have similar characteristics to themselves (Burton, 2015; Walker et al., 2017)....
[...]
...Indeed, Burton (2015) also refers to research at three levels: the macro-level, relating to general trends at the national and international level; the mesolevel, concerned with organisational cultures and processes; and the micro-level, with a focus on lived experiences at the individual and…...
[...]
...They both shape and are shaped by complex sociocultural factors (Burton, 2015)....
[...]
30 Jul 2021
TL;DR: This paper examined the experiences of women working as professional footballers in England and found that women are unprepared for their new, highly gendered careers as professional women footballers, and the neglect of essential employment and workplace policy such as education, maternity leave and post-career options.
Abstract: In 2011, the Football Association (FA), the national governing body of football in England, launched the first semi-professional league for women. The inception of the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL), created the opportunity for football as work for its elite women footballers, in an occupational field tied historically to a highly masculinist and thus, gender exclusive culture. In 2018, the FA WSL adopted full- time professional status. The professionalisation of women’s football in England, has provided both the opportunity to offer insight into football as work for women, and examine the workplace and employment policies available to professional women footballers. Ambiguity exists between the growing professionalisation of women’s football and the precarious work conditions in which players operate. The low visibility and status afforded to women’s football, means that research on women working as professional footballers remains particularly limited. Ergo, the outcomes and consequences of professionalisation in England are largely unknown.
This research examines the experiences of women working as professional footballers in England. Drawing upon the theoretical apparatus of Pierre Bourdieu, the research investigates how professional women footballers learn the values and dispositions (habitus) of the intrinsically male dominated football field and incorporate this into their practice. A qualitative approach was undertaken which involved conducting 30 semi-structured interviews with professional women footballers. This study employs a qualitative interpretative framework that allows for
an in-depth understanding of football as work for women in England, acknowledging participants’ realities and perspectives. Key themes examined here include, demographic information, operating with dual career/education, life in Women’s Super League, contracts, policy, life and identity as a player and post-career considerations.
The key findings of this research demonstrate women are unprepared for their new, highly gendered careers as professional women footballers. The prospect of a professional football career means women embody professional expectations of clubs and the FA. The roles, remits and expectations placed on players are increasingly complex and dynamic, placing obligations on players personal/private lives. Women are mixed into an existing system of professional football, with limited policy consideration for their needs as women professional footballers. A key contribution of this research is the neglect of essential employment and workplace policy such as education, maternity leave and post-career options. This neglect reflects the disempowered position of professional women footballers, who are devoted to making it as a professional footballer. The contribution of this research identifies implications for those players highly invested in their career as a professional footballer, once their short careers reach a conclusion.
46 citations
Cites background or result from "Underrepresentation of women in spo..."
...Despite narratives of supporting gender equity as an organisational value, data from previous studies suggests women receive less remuneration, operational budgets, are promoted less and there are less women in leadership positions (Dixon et al. 2008; Hoeber, 2008; Burton, 2015; Cohen, 2018)....
[...]
...Previous research supports the notion of women simply added on to men’s clubs often positioned as charitable causes and deemed positive for public relations (Woodward, 2007; Burton, 2015; Fielding-Lloyd et al. 2018)....
[...]
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the nature and impact of sexist and homophobic discrimination experienced by lesbians, gays and bisexuals in Australian sporting settings and found that participants experienced sexism directly and systemically, and homophobia explicitly and implicitly.
Abstract: This study examines the nature and impact of sexist and homophobic discrimination experienced by lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGB) in Australian sporting settings. A mixed methods online survey was utilized to collate participant experiences. The findings suggest that, in sport, participants experienced sexism directly and systemically, and homophobia explicitly and implicitly. Women experienced sexism and homophobia, whilst men reported more homophobic events. The most mentioned impacts of discrimination were negative emotions such as sadness, anger, distress and shame, followed by negative engagement with sport such as disliking sport, or avoiding or leaving sport. The well-recognized benefits of sport such as physical and mental well-being, social connections, enjoyment, positive identity and achievement may be more difficult to realize within this context of significant social stress.
44 citations
References
More filters
Book•
01 Jan 1977
TL;DR: Men and Women of the Corporation: The Population, Industrial Supply Corporation: Setting Roles And Images as discussed by the authors, Men and women of the corporation: The population, the setting roles and images, the players and the stage.
Abstract: * Introduction The Players And The Stage * Men and Women of the Corporation: The Population * Industrial Supply Corporation: The Setting Roles And Images * Managers * Secretaries * Wives Structures And Processes * Opportunity * Power * Numbers: Minorities and Majorities Understanding The Action * Contributions to Theory: Structural Determinants of Behavior in Organizations * Contributions to Practice: Organizational Change, Affirmative Action, and the Quality of Work Life * Afterword to the 1993 Edition
7,680 citations
TL;DR: The authors argues that organizational structure is not gender neutral; on the contrary, assumptions about gender underlie the documents and contracts used to construct organizations and to provide the commonsense ground for theorizing about them.
Abstract: In spite of feminist recognition that hierarchical organizations are an important location of male dominance, most feminists writing about organizations assume that organizational structure is gender neutral. This article argues that organizational structure is not gender neutral; on the contrary, assumptions about gender underlie the documents and contracts used to construct organizations and to provide the commonsense ground for theorizing about them. Their gendered nature is partly masked through obscuring the embodied nature of work. Abstract jobs and hierarchies, common concepts in organizational thinking, assume a disembodies and universal worker. This worker is actually a man; men's bodies, sexuality, and relationships to procreation and paid work are subsumed in the image of the worker. Images of men's bodies and masculinity pervade organizational processes, marginalizing women and contributing to the maintenance of gender segregation in organizations. The positing of gender-neutral and disembodie...
5,562 citations
"Underrepresentation of women in spo..." refers background in this paper
...…scholars have recognized that gender can influence organizational practices, such that images, cultures, interactions, and gender-appropriate behaviors are linked to socially constructed masculine or feminine ideals within organizational operations (Acker, 1990, 1992; Britton & Logan, 2008)....
[...]
...As Acker (1990) described in her work on gender and management, there is an assumption that work and organizational practices are gender neutral; however, this assumption serves to reinforce masculine dominance including in the domain of sport....
[...]
TL;DR: Evidence from varied research paradigms substantiates that consequences of perceived incongruity between the female gender role and leadership roles are more difficult for women to become leaders and to achieve success in leadership roles.
Abstract: A role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders proposes that perceived incongruity between the female gender role and leadership roles leads to 2 forms of prejudice: (a) perceiving women less favorably than men as potential occupants of leadership roles and (b) evaluating behavior that fulfills the prescriptions of a leader role less favorably when it is enacted by a woman. One consequence is that attitudes are less positive toward female than male leaders and potential leaders. Other consequences are that it is more difficult for women to become leaders and to achieve success in leadership roles. Evidence from varied research paradigms substantiates that these consequences occur, especially in situations that heighten perceptions of incongruity between the female gender role and leadership roles.
4,947 citations
TL;DR: Authentic Leadership Development (ALD) as mentioned in this paper is an emerging field of research in the field of leadership development, with a focus on transforming, charismatic, servant, and spiritual leadership perspectives.
Abstract: This Special Issue is the result of the inaugural summit hosted by the Gallup Leadership Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004 on Authentic Leadership Development (ALD). We describe in this introduction to the special issue current thinking in this emerging field of research as well as questions and concerns. We begin by considering some of the environmental and organizational forces that may have triggered interest in describing and studying authentic leadership and its development. We then provide an overview of its contents, including the diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives presented, followed by a discussion of alternative conceptual foundations and definitions for the constructs of authenticity, authentic leaders, authentic leadership, and authentic leadership development. A detailed description of the components of authentic leadership theory is provided next. The similarities and defining features of authentic leadership theory in comparison to transformational, charismatic, servant and spiritual leadership perspectives are subsequently examined. We conclude by discussing the status of authentic leadership theory with respect to its purpose, construct definitions, historical foundations, consideration of context, relational/processual focus, attention to levels of analysis and temporality, along with a discussion of promising directions for future research.
3,866 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined relationships among race, organizational experiences, job performance evaluations, and career outcomes for black and white managers from three work organizations, and found that black managers had better career outcomes than white managers.
Abstract: This study examined relationships among race, organizational experiences, job performance evaluations, and career outcomes for black and white managers from three work organizations. Compared to wh...
2,335 citations