As part of our ambition to grow a thriving sporting system both in the UK and internationally, UK Sport regularly commissions research to understand how we can best influence and support positive change.
Analysis of career pathways of British postholders in international sport governance (September 2023)
As part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, UK Sport has made a commitment to ensure that 50% of British postholders in senior leadership roles at international sports federations are female.
To help us achieve this goal, we commissioned research to examine the pathways that British women and men have taken to achieve international leadership roles. Our goal was to identify if there were gendered differences in these pathways and provide insight to inform future actions to address the gender imbalance in international leadership.
This was a two-part project led by a research team from the University of Chichester and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In phase one, they conducted an online survey of 55 British international postholders and in phase two they completed in-depth interviews with 12 postholders (6 women and 6 men).
Key findings – phase one
- On average, female postholders were more likely to have a university education or elite athlete experience. This suggests that women potentially needed more qualifications or experience to achieve the same roles as men.
- A greater percentage of women than men cited their personal motivation, experience in governance and their sporting achievements as the key factors that helped them achieve their first international role.
- A greater percentage of men than women attributed their success to their networking skills and support from their international federation. This suggests that many women already have the skills and experience they need to be successful but need more opportunities to build their network and reputation within their sport’s international federation.
Key findings – phase two
- In-depth interviews revealed that the dynamics of networking within international sports federations may be an important factor in the low representation of women in leadership roles.
- Women faced unequal financial barriers to attend events and meetings and often felt uncomfortable or unwelcome in male-dominated informal networking spaces, like hotel bars.
- However, it was in these informal networking spaces that most key decisions were made, meaning that women were often excluded from opportunities to influence decisions or develop the profile and relationships needed to advance to a leadership role.
Recommendations
The report includes 12 recommendations for UK Sport and partners to improve representation of women in leadership, including:
- Training programmes should consider using a new ‘5 P’s Model of Networking’ developed through this project so that women are better prepared to navigate the international political environment.
- Leaders should open a dialogue on how to create more inclusive spaces for informal networking within each sport – moving beyond hotel bars.
- Processes for financial support for travel expenses should be reviewed to ensure women have equal opportunities to engage in face-to-face networking.
- Postholders should receive support and advice throughout their career, not just at the start.
- More investment should be made into talent ID programmes for female athletes interested in pursuing a career in international sport governance.
These are only a small fraction of the useful insights and recommendations within the full report, which you can download here.
Career Pathways Final Report
Career pathways Executive Summary
This file is published by a third party organisation and may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Alternatively, download our key research insights infographic for a visual summary of the findings;
Insights Infographic
5 P's Model of Networking
Is gender on the international agenda? Gender representation and policy in international sport governance (June 2021)
In 2021, we commissioned a report by the University of Chichester and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology into female representation in international sports governance.
Research methodology
The research study reviewed the leadership of 60 international federations and international sports organisations. In addition it also examined six different kinds of gender and governance actions that international federations and international sports organisations have used to promote gender equality: gender targets, gender quotas, election and recruitment rules, gender- or equality-focused groups, official documents and women’s leadership development programmes.
Key findings
The research found that women continue to be significantly underrepresented – and that a more nuanced approach may be needed to achieve greater progress toward gender equality. The report found that of the federations and organisations surveyed, women made up only:
- 22% of members of boards or executive committees
- 7% of presidents or chairs
- 21% of CEOs or secretary generals
Overall, most federations and organisations were taking action to address inequality, with 70% implementing gender quotas and 63% having a gender- or equality-focused group. However, the report also found some federations and organisations implementing very limited or no form of gender and governance action.
As a result of the analysis, the report concluded that it was the nature, rather than the prevalence, of these actions that mattered most – and in fact, some types of action could actually be counterproductive. Some of the other key insights from the research include:
- Quotas or targets for female representation only worked if they included rules for implementation or sanctions for non-compliance. Federations and organisations with quotas (without rules) had on average 1% fewer women in leadership than those without quotas. This compared to 5% more women in leadership if those quotas had rules for implementation.
- Federations and organisations that hosted or supported women to attend a Women’s Leadership Development Programme had 7% more women in leadership.
- Federations and organisations with very poor female representation (15% or fewer) were more likely to have a women’s committee but less likely to give that committee status or power and had fewer men participating. This suggests that committees on their own were unlikely to lead to greater gender equality, and may in fact make change less likely.
What next?
The report concluded that gender and governance actions alone will not lead to change. Actions must be ambitious, process-driven and embedded across an organisation and its strategy, with senior leaders actively championing and engaged in efforts to promote gender equality and committed to their implementation.
The full report is available to download below;
Gender representation report
This file is published by a third party organisation and may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Alternatively, download our key research insights infographic for a visual summary of the findings;
Insights infographic