According to a new study from scholars at the University of Louisville and Temple University in Philadelphia, women’s representation in intercollegiate athletic department jobs has seen small progress over the past decade, but more work is needed to achieve gender equity in the field.
The Pipeline Project draws from data on the athletic departments of hundreds of colleges and universities across the country in several different athletic conferences and subdivisions. Since 2015, assistant athletic director (AD) roles in the United States have grown by 80 percent, and associate AD positions have grown by 43 percent. Over the same time period, women’s representation in these roles has grown by about 6 percent.
Currently, women represent about 38 percent of employees in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivisions (FBS) athletic departments. However, there is not a single conference where women’s representation in executive positions (athletic director, senior woman administrator), exceeds this level. Currently only 11.7 percent of FBS athletic departments are led by women. The good news is that women’s representation in mid-tier I positions (assistant AD of compliance, senior director of events) meets or exceeds 38 percent in all Power Four conferences.
Women have made greater strides towards gender equity in early career athletic department roles, representing about 44 percent of all entry-level positions in 2024. The authors found three Group of 5 conferences were women represented over half of entry-level roles. Across FBS, women’s representation in mid-tier II positions (assistant AD, facility manager) drops to 32 percent, but then increases to 40 percent of all mid-tier 1 positions.
Considering the number of positions in intercollegiate athletics is on the rise, the authors believe there are more opportunities for women in this field than ever before. To accomplish gender equity in this area, the authors urge industry leaders and senior administrators use their findings to identify why women are leaving or not advancing within athletic departments. They recommend that colleges and universities implement diversity and inclusion topics into sports management curricula, create mentoring opportunities for women students, and develop leadership initiatives for women and other underrepresented groups in the field.