Gender Issues in Danish Sports Organizations—Experiences, Attitudes and Evaluations

Abstract

Based on the gender ratios in the leading positions of Danish sports organizations, this article aims at identifying reasons for the existing gender hierarchy. Theoretical approaches to the construction of gender and to the “gendering” of organizations provide the basis for the presentation and discussion of the results of a quantitative survey of Danish sports leaders. From the perspective of the respondents, the lack of women in leadership positions is mainly due to the decisions of women. But the results of the study also indicate that the gender hierarchies are rooted in the culture of the organizations. Organizational cultures are enacted in everyday situations and relate among other things to aims, leader ideals and practices of an organization. The leader ideal in sports with a stronghold in sports associations—a person who is able and willing to invest much time for voluntary work, seems to be one of the barriers, which prevent women's advancement. Another barrier is the election system. Among other things lack of regulations referring to the duration of offices allows men to serve for many years. Even if more than half of the sports leaders in this material perceive equality as an important issue in sport in general, only a small percentage of men and women are willing to invest time and energy in this issue. Because changes of the organizational culture are not seen as a necessity by the majority of the “insiders”, analyses and perspectives on the gender hierarchy from outside are necessary.

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