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.