Women who participated in sports growing up are more likely to become workplace leaders, pursue senior positions, and negotiate their salaries, according to new research examining the connection between youth athletics and career success, Inc.com reports.
The “Girls Who Play Change the Game” report, released Aug. 31 by e.l.f. Beauty and women’s sports consultancy Parity found that women who played sports for at least three years before completing high school were nearly 50% more likely to hold leadership positions than women who played little or no sports. They were also 37% more likely to aspire to senior leadership positions and nearly 25% more likely to have negotiated their salaries.
The findings draw on surveys of more than 9,500 people across the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Researchers surveyed 9,056 women ages 18 to 65 who worked full-time within the previous five years, along with 328 professional women athletes and 114 corporate board members.
Researchers classified women who played sports for at least three years before finishing high school as “Everyday Athletes.”
The benefits appeared to extend well beyond the playing field. Nearly 90% of Everyday Athletes who had been promoted said a skill or mindset developed through sports helped them advance professionally. Among those with at least five years of work experience, 69% said lessons learned through athletics had become increasingly important in the workplace.
The study also found that 98% of professional women athletes surveyed said sports helped prepare them for life beyond their playing careers, while 85% of board members said lessons learned through sports are important for future board members.
Despite those potential benefits, researchers found a persistent gender gap in sports participation across all four countries studied. Seventy percent of Gen Z women who started playing sports continued through the end of high school, compared with 62% of baby boomers, suggesting participation among younger generations has increased.
Parity CEO Leela Srinivasan said the findings underscore the value of simply giving girls opportunities to participate.
“This isn’t about being elite or becoming a professional athlete,” Srinivasan said. “The benefits are linked to participation itself.”
Researchers cautioned that comparisons between the groups are descriptive and demonstrate correlation, not definitive causation.
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