������Ƶ

Topic

The Legitimacy Boost: The Impact of Sports on Women’s Leadership Legitimacy

Interdisciplinary Studies

Date & location

• Monday, July 6, 2026
• 1:00 P.M.
• Clearihue Building, Room B017

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. A.R. Elangovan, Gustavson School of Business, ������Ƶ (Supervisor)
• Prof. Evert Lindquest, School of Public Administration, ������Ƶ (Co-Supervisor)
• Dr. Richard Wolfe, Gustavson School of Business, ������Ƶ (Member)
• Dr. Richard Marcy, School of Public Administration, ������Ƶ (Outside Member)

External Examiner

• Dr. Laura Burton, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Simon Devereaux, Department of History, ������Ƶ

Abstract

The relationship between sport participation and women’s career success has been widely acknowledged in both academic and grey literatures. Advocacy for women's engagement in sport dates backs well over one hundred years, such as the work of Dudley and Kellor (1909), emphasizing sports’ role in fostering social development and preparing women for leadership. Contemporary data reinforces this vision: over 90% of female executives report a background in sport, with many attributing their career advancement, in part to athletic participation. Despite this, existing research falls short in explaining the mechanisms through which sport fosters leadership success and, more importantly, how it contributes to women’s legitimacy as leaders.

This dissertation addresses these knowledge gaps by investigating the sociological role of sport in enhancing women’s leadership legitimacy, drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital. It introduces and defines the construct of leadership legitimacy and explores how sport participation cultivates the cultural resources that make women more readily accepted in senior leadership roles. Using multiple methods including a survey and case studies of female executives and their colleagues—this research offers new theoretical insights and practical implications for sport policy, organizational and human resource policies and programs and implications for female leaders and those aspiring to leadership roles. Findings will inform initiatives aimed at increasing female participation in sport as a pathway to greater representation and legitimacy in leadership.