Diversity and inclusion report finds women at a disadvantage in sports administration
A McKinsey report including about 1,700 women working in the business of sports in North America found that the industry trails all other industries on every dimension of inclusion.
The report – ‘Changing the game: Driving inclusion for women in the business of sports’ – found that women in sports administration face negative effects from engaging in workplaces dominated by men, they lack support and advancement, and work harder than male peers to support the emotional wellbeing of employees.
Added into that are the findings that women reported being 2.8 times more likely to leave their job when they do not feel included.
McKinsey said that the organisations who recognise the urgency of this problem “stand to win big” by creating inclusive spaces for women in administration and understanding the challenges by having tough conversations about diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI).
Although 80% of women reported positive experiences individually, most are unlikely to say their organisation on the whole is fair.
Women are often the only person of their gender or racial identity – or both – at work.
This experience of being an “only”, particularly if they have intersectional identities such as being Black or identifying with the LGBTQ+ community, translates into more experiences of microaggressions, such as having their competence questioned, the report says.
The report also found that in sports administration, women are less likely than peers in other industries to have sponsors who can help steer their careers and advocate for them within their organisations.
Some 51% of women managers provided emotional support, compared with 32% of men, and checked in on employees’ wellbeing (73% women v 61% men).
McKinsey said that sports organisations can make a real commitment to DEI by understanding and taking the lead on actions of creating fairer organisations by debiasing people processes, building leaders’ mentorship and sponsorship capabilities, more supportive work environments, and making minority statuses less relevant by retaining and hiring diverse people.
