Women in sports leadership: How do we get there?

Recent decades have seen significant strides towards gender equality in sport participation, but the lack
of women holding leadership roles in sport is striking. Across Europe, women's representation on boards
of national sporting bodies averages 14%. Globally, women occupy 13% of executive committee
positions and have historically been underrepresented at all levels of major international sporting bodies.
Having said this, there has been recent movements in the UK context that appear to represent
progressive change, such as funding to implement greater diversity across governing boards.
This research project will outline the concept of professionalisation and how it has been used within sport
management research in noticing minimal coverage for the professionalisation of women sport
managers, who hereby contribute to the economic, social and humanistic potential of women's sport.
Additionally, the research project will critically analyse women's experiences in the sport sector,
exploring how women entering leadership positions navigate the cultural norms of their organisations,
experience various barriers to progression, and forge paths into and through their professional careers.
The research will employ sociological gender theory to foreground the perspectives of women sports
leaders, critique pervasive and enduring sexist norms of sport bodies' workplace culture, and advocate
for more effective professional development of women in this sector.