A report conducted by the Spanish Association of Women, Executives and Sport (Aemed) and LaLiga Business School has found that female students at business schools specialising in sports are in the minority, but have a higher employability rate than men, with 92.5% of women compared to 88% of men. This news features as part of the latest edition of WFS Digest, our new insider’s guide to the latest and most relevant thoughts and practises from within the football industry. You can subscribe to WFS Digest HERE.
The gender gap also exists in sports management training. That is the main conclusion of the educational report prepared by LaLiga Business School and the Spanish Association of Women, Executives and Sport (Aemed), which shows that the average percentage of women’s participation in sports management masters stands at 13%. It is a figure that, far from growing, has fallen by seven percent since the 2018-2019 academic year.
“The data from this study show us the urgent need to include women in a sector that until now was not considered an option.” – Theresa Zabell, president of Aemed
In the case of teachers, the figure has remained stable since 2018, with around 22% of women leading the education. Another figure that highlights the problem points to the percentage of female experts and professors at the head of students’ final master’s degree projects, with 39% making up the total last year.
On the other side of the scale, female students of these masters seem to have a higher rate of employability: 92.5%, compared to 88% of men. In addition, during the current academic year, two of the programs analysed had a higher percentage of women than men, both related to sports marketing.
World Football Summit is an active member of Aemed, where WFS director Marian Otamendi serves as vice-president.
According to José Moya, LaLiga Business School director: “The data is alerting us that the sector is not attracting more women, as they are not choosing to train to develop their careers in it. This means that we are losing opportunities to bring in female executive talent, which is a brain drain to other sectors.”
Thirty percent of LaLiga’s executive committee positions are held by women, a rate that is above the national average of around 26 percent. However, the average for the sports sector is 14% female presence in management positions.
Theresa Zabell, president of Aemed, added: “The data from this study show us the urgent need to include women in a sector that until now was not considered an option. Undoubtedly, in order to reverse what is happening in sports management we must start with training.”
This news features as part of the latest edition of WFS Digest, our new insider’s guide to the latest and most relevant thoughts and practises from within the football industry. You can subscribe to WFS Digest HERE.
