Many people in the United States and all over the world love sports, but the initial assumption is that it is a male-dominated industry. Even if you are not an avid sports fan, paying attention to this blog is imperative if you are interested in gender equity. Changes are happening in the sports industry that will give many women all over the world the opportunity to play a key role in the future of athletics.
There are significantly fewer women athletic administrators than male administrators in our nation today. According to the Feminist Majority Foundation, “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”1. In order to break the gender inequity cycle, colleges and schools across America have to make an effort to hire experienced and hardworking women athletic administrators.
In today’s world, a lot of women love sports, understand Title IV and the laws behind it, and most importantly a lot of women know how to lead; if given a chance. If women do not get a chance to gain the experience and lead in an athletic program, how will women ever understand how to be in this position(that is the real question here)? Despite the obstacles that women face in the athletic field, a huge number of women are leading the right way to gender equity. There should be an equal number of male and female athletic administrators in our world, because both women and men can obtain the qualifications in this profession.
Jason Belzer wrote an article “Why Aren't More Women Reaching the Top Of College Sports?”, and asked Lynn Hickey, Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics at the University of Texas in San Antonio, about her thoughts related to gender equity. Belzer asked, “What are the biggest challenges in intercollegiate athletics for you and other women in your position?” Hickey replied,
“I think women can find it challenging to develop a roadmap on how you can continue to grow. After all, as an AD the number one reason you are there is to serve your Student-Athletes and coaches. Women have to find ways that give them confidence in their abilities and confidence to stand up in front of a group and command presence and respect their role. Another issue that seems to permeate is that it is tough for women leaders to have the courage to move/relocate and have families that are willing to follow along. It can be tough to find the courage to take risks as an employee, leader, wife, and mom”.2
I appreciated Hickey’s comment and believe that what she really wants is for women to understand that as a great leader you have to build confidence within yourself, step out of your comfort zone and do what you know you believe in in order to be successful. Gender does not matter; women were put on this earth with a purpose, and if you believe that you were put on this earth to be successful in athletics then do what you need to do in order to fulfill your purpose.
The more women we have out there leading in athletes and becoming successful in this field, the more women we will have interested in this field, and following the same path to be successful as well. Jen Cohen stated, “The more women we see in these [AD] positions, the more likely we’re going to have more women who know that they can do it.”3 The way that we pull other women into this field is by showing them how successful and rewarding it can be working in the world of athletics.
In conclusion, this intro to my blog is just to give an overview of what’s happening in the world of athletics with women. It is important to learn about these issues of gender inequality in your desired field of study. Women leaders that are interested in college or high school athletics can do anything that they set their minds to, it just takes a plan and a road map to build up to your success.
References
1 Feminist Majority Foundation. (2014). Empowering Women in Sports. Retrieved from: http://www.feminist.org/research/sports/sports2.html
2 Belzer, J. (2015 September 2). Why Aren't More Women Reaching The Top Of College Sports?. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2015/09/02/why-arent-more-women-reaching-the-top-of-college-sports/#34a6cbac2e22
3 DeSchepper, R. (2017). Women Athletic Directors Lead Two of the Top Five College Football Programs. Retrieved from: https://www.nacwaa.org/join-nacwaa/news-and-shout-outs/shout-outs/12999
