Same Story; Different Day: Greatest Challenges of Women Working in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration

Women continue to be under-represented in administrative positions in intercollegiate athletics. Women in this study offered unique insights into challenges they face in the field. This study explored career profiles and challenges facing women working in intercollegiate athletic administration. The subjects were women working in intercollegiate athletic administration across National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) divisions I, II, III; National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA); Junior Colleges; and Canadian Colleges. The study, which utilized the Female Sport Manager Career Survey, posed two research questions: (a) what are the profiles of females working in athletic administration?, and (b) what are the gender specific greatest challenges that women working in intercollegiate athletic administration face? This study included all 1834 women working in intercollegiate athletic administration listed by the National Directory of College Athletics in 2012, of which 28.0% (N=514) provided usable responses. Frequencies were calculated for the demographics using SPSS 20.0 and the qualitative data were analyzed using HyperResearch 2.8. Several practical implications for women wanting to work in intercollegiate athletic administration originated from this study including developing networks, being prepared to balance work and family, being aware of stereotyping, and gaining as much experience as possible.