Women Athletes and Career Success: How Are They Related?

Since the passing of Title IX in the United States in 1972, young women and girls who have desired to participate in athletics have had significantly greater opportunities to do so than before the advent of the federal law. As a result, such opportunities in athletics have allowed women to develop certain skills through their sports participation that have propelled them to achieve successes in the professional careers that have followed their playing days. Because of the increased number of women who have participated in athletics—both in their youth years and as college students—since Title IX’s passing, it is important to research the impact of athletics on the professional careers of former collegiate women student-athletes who are currently in senior-level positions within the workplace. This research involving former collegiate women student-athletes allows for an analysis of their understanding of the impact of their athletic experiences on their professional successes. This research has implications in career research, gender research, as well as in the wide-ranging realm of athletics