Women, in my opinion, are just as capable of being good athletic administrators as men. The same can be said of their ability to build a foundation of success within their athletic program. There are many traits that make a great leader, but the most important ones include communication skills, good judgment, passion, and commitment. With that being said, why aren’t there more women serving as leaders in athletic departments? According to Pew Research Center on a survey about women and leadership, “Women have a somewhat narrower advantage over men when it comes to working to improve the quality of life for Americans and standing up for what they believe in despite political pressure. For both of these characteristics, solid majorities say there is no difference between men and women..”1 If women possess the acquired traits of good leaders and are knowledgeable in an athletic related topics then what is stopping women from becoming successful athletic administrators?
Women have made a significant increase in educational attainment during the past few decades and are prepared for not only successes in their career but also for leadership positions within their profession. According to Pew Research Center, “Since the 1990s, women have outnumbered men in both college enrollment and college completion rates, reversing a trend that lasted through the 1960s and ’70s. And women today are more likely than men to continue their education after college.”1 If this is the case then why aren’t more women obtaining leadership positions in the field of athletics? Women are out there showing their hard work and dedication to the field and not being rewarded for it.
For women within the profession of athletics, the issue of having more female leaders goes beyond equality in the workplace. The barriers such as athletics being predominantly male ran, that may be preventing women from achieving greater representation in the top athletic leadership positions, I believe that it becomes discouraging. According to Erik Person, “The proverbial glass ceiling for women in the sports workplace is illustrated when we consider that 80% of sport communication positions are held by men. Women will continue to face an uphill battle for equal opportunity to play, equal representation in the coaching ranks, and equal media attention due to the male culture of superiority..”2 As a graduate student in Kinesiology I want to pursue a career in athletic administration. But sometimes I get scared about the lack of job opportunities in my chosen career field. I've worked so hard to get where I am today and want the chance to perform. When I was growing up, I always heard the saying “Hard work pays off”. If this saying has merit, and women have equal education, experiences, and professional qualifications then the disparities seen in the employment of females in positions of athletic administration should be comparable to men. Whether men or women are leading the best team in the state or leading in an athletic office, leaders have to bring a combination of the traits (listed in the first paragraph) to the table in the profession of athletics. If there is a women candidate that acquires all of the leadership traits to represent an athletic program then that leadership position in the athletic department should be hers and vice versa. 
In closing, I think about a few women that were successful in the field of athletics, for example, Sandy Bourbar, Athletic Director at Pennsylvania State University and Jen Cohen, Athletic Director at the University of Washington and wonder why we don't have more women leaders like them leading successful athletic programs. Bourbar and Cohen both possessed the character traits just like men in this profession to get where they are today. In my opinion, there are a lot of women that acquire the same traits so there should be more women like Bourbar and Cohen getting praise about their successes in their athletic programs. Hopefully, women in America are still working hard to become leaders in their profession so that more women are given the opportunity to be successful in the field of athletics. Women work just as hard as men do and should continue proving themselves in order to be successful.
References
1January 14, 2015. Women and Leadership: Public Says Women are Equally Qualified, but Barriers Persist. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/01/14/women-and-leadership/
2Person, Erik. Gender Bias in American Sports: Lack of Opportunity, Lack of Administrative Positions and Lack of Coverage in Women's Sports. United States Sports Academy America's Sports University The Sport Digest. Retrieved from: http://thesportdigest.com/archive/article/gender-bias-american-sports-lack-opportunity-lack-administrative-positions-and-lack-coverage
