This study investigates the experiences of top women leaders in Malaysian sports associations with regard to discrepancy of gender and leadership roles, organizational discrimination, and pipeline problem in sport organizations. Data were collected through in-depth, face to face semi structured interviews, observations and document analysis involving seven women leaders in national sport organizations. The theme that emerged from the data was “experiences” related to the discrepancy of gender and leadership roles, organizational discrimination and leadership pipeline problem. These experiences result in the bias judgment against women as leaders, being denied of access, less supported and women being denied access to leadership positions. The results were discussed using the role congruity theory, homologous reproduction and pipeline problem. The findings in this study concluded the prejudices within the sporting system of the country contribute to the diminishing number of women role models because they opt to get out from the system than to embroil themselves into the situation. Consequently, there is a higher possibility for a fewer aspiring women leaders to pursue for leadership position.
Aman, M., Yusof, A., Ismail, M., & Razali, M. A. B. (2018). Pipeline problem: Factors influencing the underrepresentation of women in the top leadership positions of sport organisations. Malaysian Journal of Movement, Health & Exercise, 7(2), 151-166.
Browne, K. (1999). Divided labours: An evolutionary view of women at work. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Burton, L. J. (2015). Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: A review of research. Sport Management Review, 18(2), 155-165.
Carli, L. L., & Eagly, A. H. (2001). Gender, hierarchy, and leadership: An introduction. Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 629-636.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Coakley, J. (2001). Sport in society: Issues and controversies (7th Ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among the five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Dominici, F., Fried, L. P., & Zeger, S. L. (2009). So few women leaders. Academe, 95(4), 25-27.
Eagly, A. H., & Dickman, A. B. (2005). What is the problem? Prejudice as an attitude-in context. In J.F. Dovidio, P. Glick, & L.A. Rudman (Eds.), On the nature of prejudice: Fifty years after Allport, 19-35. Maiden, MA: Blackwell
Eagly, A. C., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 3, 573-598.
Ferguson, T. W. (2017). Female leadership and role congruity within the clergy: Communal leaders experience no gender differences yet agentic women continue to suffer backlash. Sex Roles, 78(2).
Greenhaus, J. H., Parasuraman, S., & Wormley, W. M. (1990). Effects of race on organizational experiences, job performance, evaluations, and career outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 35(1), 64-86.
Greenhill, J., Auld, C., Cuskelly, G., & Hooper, S. (2009). The impact of organisational factors on career pathways for female coaches. Sport Management Review, 12, 229-240.
Hancock, M. G., & Hums, M.A. (2015). A “leaky pipeline”? Factors affecting the career development of senior-level female administrators in NCAA Division I athletic departments. Sport Management Review, 19, 198-210.
Hederson, A. C., Grappendorf, H., & Burton, L. (2011). Attributions for success and failure in athletic administration positions. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 4, 257-270.
House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., Gupta, V. (2004). Culture, Leadership, and Organization: The GLOBE studies of 62 countries. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hoyt, C. L., & Murphy, S. E. (2016). Managing to clear the air: Stereotype threat, women, and leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 27, 387-399.
Inglis, S., Danylchuk, K. E., & Pastore, D. (2000). Multiple realities of women’s work experiences in coaching and athletic management. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 9, 1-26.
Ismail, M., & Rasdi, M. R. (2007), Impact of networking on career development: Experience of high-flying women academics. Human Resource Development International, 10(2), 157-172.
Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic Books.
Kerr, G., & Marshall, D. (2007). Shifting the culture: Implications for female coaches. Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching, 7(4).
Knoppers, A. (1987). Gender and the coaching profession. Quest, 39(1), 9-22.
Latu, I. M., Mast, M. S., Lammers, J., & Bombari, D. (2013). Successful female leaders empower women’s behavior in leadership tasks. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 444-448.
Lovelin, M., & Hanold, M. (2014). Female sport leaders’ perceptions of leadership and management: Skills and attitude for success. Global Sport Business Journal, 2(1), 14-29.
Mariani, M. D. (2008). “A Gendered Pipeline? The Advancement of State Legislators to Congress in Five States.” Politics and Gender, 4(2), 285-308.
Massengale, D. (2009). The Underrepresentation of women in interscholastic spo
In-Text Citation: (Aman, Yusof, Razali, & Dev, 2019)
To Cite this Article: Aman, M. P., Yusof, A., Razali, A. B., & Dev, R. D. O. (2019). Perceived Incongruity of Gender and Leadership Roles: Experiences of Top Women Leaders in Malaysian Sports Associations. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(11), 1429–1433.
Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode