Sarah Snoddy (Hollins University, 2019) recently researched completed a paper about women leading in athletics. Omicron Delta Kappa is pleased to share her paper with our membership. A summary of Snoddy’s research is below.
Leading Her League:
Analysis of Women’s Athletic Leadership Literature
In 1972, 90% of women’s athletic programs were coached by women. That percentage dropped over the next 13 years to less than 50%, according to research done by Acosta and Carpenter. It’s almost a tragic continuation of Billie Jean King’s “Battle of the Sexes”- but the battle isn’t over competitive spaces. This battle is over leadership real estate. The realm of sports participation has long been a disputed territory for women, as has the notion of a woman in power. I can offer no solutions, but naming a problem and its internalized contradictions is the first step towards righting a wrong. I use existing literature on gender and athletics to understand the circumstances that surround coaching disparities, with the academic support of Jen Fry (former NCAA Division I coach/CEO of JenFryTalks) and Abrina Schnurman (director of Hollins University Batten Leadership Institute).
To read the full paper, available on the odkleadershipmatters.org website, click here.
