TY - JOUR

T1 - Women in sports leadership: A systematic narrative review

AU - Evans, Adam B.

AU - Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

N1 - CURIS 2021 NEXS 137

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - 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 upon this literature are relatively limited. We present a systematic narrative review, constructed in conjunction with the work of ‘reflective panels’ including sport, business and academic professionals from across Europe and North America. This panel helped inform the search strategy, and reflected upon the narrative produced. In total, 105 154 peer reviewed articles, book chapters and grey literature 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. Results There is consensus in the literature suggest that, globally, women continue to be globally under-represented in leadership positions. Patriarchal selection practices and organisational cultures reinforce this inequity, despite evidence that men in leadership roles recognise the problem. Whilst gender equity policies exist, actions to pursue gender equity are more limited. Patriarchal language, 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 which 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 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.

AB - 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 upon this literature are relatively limited. We present a systematic narrative review, constructed in conjunction with the work of ‘reflective panels’ including sport, business and academic professionals from across Europe and North America. This panel helped inform the search strategy, and reflected upon the narrative produced. In total, 105 154 peer reviewed articles, book chapters and grey literature 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. Results There is consensus in the literature suggest that, globally, women continue to be globally under-represented in leadership positions. Patriarchal selection practices and organisational cultures reinforce this inequity, despite evidence that men in leadership roles recognise the problem. Whilst gender equity policies exist, actions to pursue gender equity are more limited. Patriarchal language, 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 which 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 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.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Gender

KW - Governance

KW - Leadership

KW - Sport

KW - Systematic narrative review

U2 - 10.1177/1012690220911842

DO - 10.1177/1012690220911842

M3 - Review

VL - 56

SP - 317

EP - 342

JO - International Review for the Sociology of Sport

JF - International Review for the Sociology of Sport

SN - 1012-6902

IS - 3

ER -