Mitigating Systemic Barriers to Career Advancement for Women in Collegiate Athletics: The Impact of External Compensated Mentorship

Title: Mitigating Systemic Barriers to Career Advancement for Women in Collegiate Athletics: The Impact of External Compensated Mentorship Although women’s opportunities to participate in collegiate athletics have increased since the passage of Title IX, opportunities to lead as athletic directors have dropped significantly. One theory is that women applying for administrative positions in athletics require more extensive networks of mentors in competitive hiring searches. Therefore, women may seek external mentors in various ways, even to the point of financially paying “external compensated mentors” to promote their careers. This qualitative phenomenological study uses social capital theory to investigate the perceptions of fifteen college athletics administrators and mentors concerning the impact of external compensated mentors on career advancement for women. Benefits to compensated mentorship included honesty and critique without fear, greater frequency and intentionality in contact time, enhanced access to elite networks and search firms, and the leveraging of intersectional identities for job opportunities. Disadvantages included a lack of authenticity in the relationship, the intrusion of less-qualified mentors motivated by financial gain, and financial barriers which could limit access for women and other underrepresented individuals. Implications for practice include the need for athletics departments to reassess hiring practices, the evolving impacts of football and fundraising, and the lack of diversity and quality in current mentorship networks