Gender diversity on the steering committees of Spanish sports federations: Implications for economic and operational performance

Abstract

The steering committee is the freely-appointed main governing body in Spanish sports federations. This study analyses the gender diversity of the members of the steering committees in the 61 Spanish sports federations, comparing the values with those found on the boards of directors of companies in other economic sectors. The evolution of the presence of women on steering committees in the period 2008-2013 is studied, and through the use of discriminant analysis it is analysed whether their gender diversity is statistically significantly related to the operational and economic performance of the federations. There is gender inequality on the steering committees, and although it is decreasing the situation does not significantly affect the operational and economic performance of Spanish sports federations.