Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Emilie Johnson

Second Advisor

Renee Porter

Third Advisor

David Arns

Abstract

Historically, women endured challenges obtaining leadership roles in male-dominated industries, specifically sports. Despite Title IX's intent to promote gender equality, the number of female leaders in sport leadership positions unintentionally decreased as the number of female athletes increased, reducing female mentor visibility (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014; LaVoi & Dutove, 2012; Taylor & Wells, 2017; Tibbetts, 2020; Walker & Bopp, 2010). The low number of female mentors available negatively impacted future sport career aspirations by female student-athletes (Levi et al., 2023; Swim et al., 2021). Recurring gender stereotypes continued to impede women's leadership opportunities, as society viewed leadership traits as inherently masculine (Taylor & Wells, 2017). Society also perceived women as less capable leaders due to gender roles and stereotypes, contributing to a lack of confidence among women in male-dominated fields (Herbst, 2020). The scholar-practitioner uncovered a need for professional development and training at the research site due to the high number of young and experienced female leaders within the athletic department. The scholar-practitioner created opportunities for women at the research site by designing strengths-based leadership training focused on self-awareness. The training allowed women to develop leadership skills and engage in same-gender networking. The scholar-practitioner’s study contained qualitative and quantitative results that supported a significant increase in participant self-awareness and confidence after implementing the training. Female leaders at the research site benefited from leadership development through strengths-based training and same-gender networking. The athletic department hoped to retain women within the industry by providing professional development training tailored to the specific needs of female leaders. Same-gender mentoring can be transformative for empowering female leaders through increased self-awareness and confidence (Daspher, 2017; Herbst, 2020). When organizations offer women resources and support for career advancement, retention rates improve, and the work performance of women is enhanced significantly (Gonzales, 2022). The potential for organizational advancement increased as female leaders became more confident. After increasing confidence and feeling empowered, women can create internal organizational change or influence others outside their current organization (Baker & Bourke, 2022; Zenger, 2018). Retaining women was critical for addressing the wicked problem relating to the underrepresentation of female leaders in intercollegiate athletics.

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