Nearly 70% of women in leadership roles played sports as a hobby in their childhood, a new study found.
The research, titled "Play to Lead: The Generational Impact of Sport on Women's Leadership," surveyed nearly 3,000 women aged 20 to 80 who played sports in their youth---specifically between the ages of 5 and 26.
The poll found that 55% of the surveyed participants said sports played a big role in their personal and social development. At least 67% said they carried skills and lessons learned from sports into their adulthood.
In addition, 69% said they held at least one formal leadership role. Of those, 71% said they held titles like Manager, Director, President, or C-Suite Executive.
Top Leadership Skills Learned From Playing Sports
Nearly half (49%) of the women surveyed credited the skills they acquired from playing sports for their leadership development. At least 73% said they learned teamwork from sports, 51% said they learned how to handle pressure, and 46% said they learned how to push beyond physical boundaries.
Apart from skills, the women also said they gained invaluable traits from playing sports, including confidence (57%), strength (52%), persistence (50%), resilience (39%), adaptability (39%), and courage (38%).
Researchers also noted that women who played sports for at least 11 years were significantly more likely to be leaders than those who did not play sports for longer periods.
Barriers To Playing Sports
Plenty of young girls and women still face barriers to playing sports, with seven out of 10 survey respondents saying they lack full access to the hobby. Twenty-seven percent of women cited family finances that prevented them from participating in sports. Other common barriers were low parental engagement (20%), lack of opportunities to participate (20%), and injury or health concerns (17%).
The researchers noted that girls of color, those who have disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community faced greater barriers to playing sports.
Overall, girls are estimated to have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play sports compared to boys. That is despite the passage of Title IX in 1972, which stated that no individual should be excluded from participating in education programs based simply on their gender.
