Envisioning Institutional Change for Gender Equality—Women’s Perspectives on Fostering Gender Equality in Leadership Positions in Sport

Abstract

This article examines how institutional work can reshape institutionalized gender inequality in leadership positions in Finnish sport from women leaders’ perspectives. It utilizes data from 22 semi-structured interviews with women in leadership roles within Finnish sport organizations, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings reveal five main themes: microlevel actions and agency, macrolevel actions and agency, reshaping perceptions of gender and leadership through reflection, intentional and unintentional maintenance work, and collective multilevel actions and agents. The study emphasizes that addressing societal challenges like gender inequality requires efforts beyond the level of an institutional field. For practitioners, it provides insights and examples for fostering gender equality in sport leadership, highlighting the importance of multi-level actions. This research contributes to the literature by applying the concept of institutional work in sport management literature and advancing our understanding of how to enhance gender equality in leadership positions in sport.