Women who played sports are more likely to be business leaders

Half a century since the passage of Title IX, generations of girls who played sports have grown up and climbed the corporate ladder.

Title IX, which was enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and subsequently requires that institutions provide equal athletic opportunities for both men and women. Some of the most influential women in business today played sports in their childhoods.

A 2023 Deloitte survey found that 69% of women who earn more than $100,000 per year and are in leadership roles played competitive sports—and 85% of women who played sports say the skills they developed playing sports were important to success in their professional careers.

This connection between professional success and adolescent athletics has been observed for years. For instance, in 2015, an EY and espnW survey found that 94% of women in C-suite positions played sports, 52% at the collegiate level. In fact, 80% of Fortune 500 female executives surveyed said they played sports in their earlier years.

The power of sports

Now a new report from the Women’s Sports Foundation, or WSF, breaks down how Title IX, and access to sports for women and girls, has impacted each generation.

WSF surveyed 2,886 women between the ages of 20 and 80 and found that among those who played sports, 69% hold at least one formal leadership role outside of the family, and 71% who have a formal leadership role hold titles like “manager,” “director,” “president,” or “C-suite executive.” The study concludes that the longer an individual played sports, the more likely they are to hold formal leadership roles.

Researchers found that participation in sports has steadily increased with each new generation—with one exception. Those between the ages of 70 and 80 played sports for 5.4 years on average; those in their sixties played for 6.4 years; those in their fifties played for 7.4 years; those in their forties played for 7.7 years; and those in their thirties played for 8.3 years. However, women in their twenties reported playing for just 7.6 years—a noticeable decline compared with previous generations.

Barriers to participation

“Among the youngest group of women (20 to 29), there are escalating concerns around barriers to full and safe participation as a component of youth sports,” the report reads, detailing that those in their twenties, all of whom participated in sports, are statistically more likely to report barriers to their desired youth sport participation (8 in 10) than any other group. Respondents in their twenties “are twice as likely to report safety concerns from their youth sports experiences” as those in their forties, the report says, and three to six times as likely than older groups. Other barriers within the twenties age group “include concerns about injury (27.6%), safety (18.9%), and poor coaching (21.9%).”

Danette Leighton, CEO of the WSF, says that these barriers are a cause for national concern. “For half the population that happens to be women, when they play sports, there is a correlation to leadership,” she says. “Those skill sets are learned on the field, in the pool, and on the court, and it’s imperative that girls have that access to playing at all levels.”

Leighton stresses that the connection between participation in sports and future leadership achievement demonstrates how Title IX not only benefited the civil rights of generations of Americans but also the broader U.S. economy as well.

“Access to sports benefits everybody in so many ways, both men and women,” says Leighton, noting that giving girls and women access to sports specifically “bolsters your economy and creates a pipeline of leaders who we think are critical for society.”

A legacy of leadership

Looking forward, Leighton remains optimistic that the leaders who have observed the benefits of sports firsthand will protect Title IX and the opportunities it provides.

“I’m really excited about the fact that you’re seeing the next generation of women and men who have been raised with [Title IX] are now seeing the value of it from a business perspective and the value of it from a societal perspective,” she says. “This country should be really proud, because if it wasn’t for that legislation, we wouldn’t be sitting here.”