Washington, Feb 10 (IANS) The ‘glass ceiling’ for women administrators in college athletics may be cracked, but is not completely broken.
Those who think double standards for women have been relegated to the past, might be disappointed by the results of the study based on whether gender roles have made a difference in hiring practices.
Heidi Grappendorf, assistant professor at North Carolina State University, and colleagues surveyed 276 athletic administrators to have them evaluate fictitious vignettes of male or female candidates for intercollegiate athletics positions.
They then ranked the candidates’ attributes and the likelihood of hiring them for the respective positions, the Journal for Sport Management reports.
The research found that female candidates for the athletic director’s position, despite having the same background as their male counterparts, were viewed as less feminine, according to a North Carolina statement.
However, if the same female candidates applied for life skills positions – positions which are predominately held by women in real-life athletic administration – they were viewed as more feminine.
Meanwhile, males were more likely to be chosen for athletic director positions, even with the exact same background and attributes as female candidates.
Grappendorf explains: ‘The assumption has been that masculine attributes like aggressiveness and competitiveness are needed for management-level positions, yet women who display those attributes are still not given the same opportunities as men.’
