Women held few top roles in Swedish sports companies in 2011
A Divas survey covering 239 Swedish sports businesses found 32 women among 427 CEOs and sales managers, including just 12 female CEOs.
Divas, a women’s network in the sports industry, compiled a list of CEOs and sales managers at 239 Swedish sports companies in 2011. Women accounted for just over 7% of the people listed.
Founded in January that year, Divas aimed to help more women reach senior positions in the industry. Its findings showed a clear need for change.
“It makes depressing reading, and this imbalance is a weakness for the industry,” said Jenny Tirén Berg of Svenskt Sportforum, who led the Divas project. “We know women account for the largest share of household purchases, and women have also been a major growth market for sports companies in recent years. Just look at the jogging and fitness trend. A balanced gender mix in management would therefore be best for companies seeking to meet their customers’ needs.”
The list contained 427 names across 239 businesses. Of those, 32 were women, including 12 CEOs. Women therefore held fewer than 5% of the chief executive positions.
“We have plenty of ideas and plans within Divas for working toward a more equal sports industry,” Tirén Berg said. “Hopefully, we can repeat this list in five years with a very different result.”
The full list was published in the press room at www.svensktsportforum.se.
