ABSTRACT
Sport as a social institution has privileged heterosexual male power and domination, which is evident in all spheres, including leadership. In addition, leadership and notions of successful leadership are consistently perceived as masculine and best embodied by men. As such, women are perceived as lacking the necessary skills to lead, most notably in the male-dominated institution of sport. This chapter focuses on the potential stereotypes and biases that women working in sport organizations may face. It introduces the concepts of social role theory, gender role stereotypes and leadership stereotypes, and describes how women face a double bind when aspiring to leadership positions and/or exercising leadership in sport organizations. The chapter explores how stereotypes can be self-limiting to women and the impacts of stereotype threat to women in sport leadership. It offers potential solutions that individuals working in sport organizations can consider to help minimize the impact of stereotypes for women in sport leadership.
