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Women in Sport Management Positions

Opportunities for Women and Leadership Roles

Aside from the participation of women playing sports, there are many women who desire to obtain a management position within the industry. For the past thirty years, there has been an increase of women in top management positions in sport, but men still hold the dominant roles. Factors such as the pay gap discrepancies, lack of opportunities for women in a male dominant industry, and lack of media coverage for women, have led many to believe that gender inequity within sports is very prevalent. While there are women who enter top management positions in this industry, men typically receive a greater number of opportunities. This is very prevalent in positions such as Athletic Directors, Assistant Athletic Directors, Deputy Director of Athletics, or Senior Associate Athletic Directors. According to the NCAA, only 8.3% of Division I athletics directors are women. Only 21 % of college women's athletic programs are headed by women, and women fill only 33% of all administrative jobs in women's programs. In high school, less than 20% of athletic directors are women, and less than 40% of directors of physical education are women. An American Society of New Editors (ASNE) newsroom census report in 1991 showed 63.1% of newsroom were men and 36.9% were women. In 2012, the percentages had not changed. By 2013, the statistics were slightly worse, showing 63.7% were men and 36.3% were women.These statistics provide an insight on the gender imbalances in the sport industry for men and women with the same positions.  

There has been several researches conducted in attempt to analyze the difference of leadership roles between men and women in the sport industry. A study conducted by Alice Eagly and Steven Karau, two professors of psychology and management, explored the social role theory and role congruity theory in relation to how women and men assume different career and social roles based on societal expectations. Through the role congruity theory, Eagly and Karau explained similarities between gender roles and leadership roles, which suggested prejudice toward female leader and potential leaders take two forms.  “The first form showed a less favorable evaluation of women’s potential for leadership because leadership ability is more stereotypical of men than women. The second form showed a less favorable evaluation of the actual leadership behavior of women than men because such behavior is perceived less desirable in women than men.” This research established view points and supportive information on why there are less women in leadership roles than men throughout the sport industry.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Many women who work in the sport industry tend to report several instances where they experience sexual harassment. According to Katie Simmons, “a woman’s main role has always been to be a wife, and then a mother. Women have been stereotyped for years as being the less intellectual and weaker sex.” Women are often objectified in the sport industry, and judged solely on their aesthetics. Discussed in the article Sports Journalism Has A Major Sexual Harassment Problem, women working in the sport industry infrequently report incidents where they have experienced sexual harassment and inappropriate comments throughout their careers due to fear or losing their job. One occupation that frequently experiences sexual harassment in the sport industry are female sport media print professionals. Female sport media print professionals are typically sports editors, sportswriters, sports columnists, and sports reporters. 

Women working in this sector of the sport industry have reported numerous incidents where they have experienced threatening comments, sexual abuse and harassment, or some form of intimidation. According to a study conducted by the Journal of Sport Management, over 50% of 112 respondents reported they encountered some form of sexual harassment over the past 12 months prior to the study. As reported by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida in 2012, 90% of sports editors and 88% of sports reporters are men. The disproportion between men and women in this position may discourage female sport media print professionals from reporting such incidents of sexual harassment according to an article published by Christina Coleburn. 

In the book, "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace",  Mary Boland argues that sexual harassment is a personal attack on a woman’s mind and body, that installs fear and violates her right to bodily integrity education, and freedom of movement. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) “working women face higher risks than men from job-related stress, and one of the most noxious stressors sexual harassment.” In reference to the toll that it takes on women, Boland states “victims suffer physical, mental, emotional, and financial losses that can be devastating.” Comments made by athletes who think what they saying are just funny jokes could potentially destroy a woman’s state of mind and sanity.  Most women are told that these are just things that come with working in the sport industry, when it’s really not.   Porshalb (talk) 15:30, 21 April 2016 (UTC)