Professional advancement of women to leadership roles in Moroccan sports federations
-
Author(s)Chaymaa LotfyLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1618-3780
,
Yasmina Bennis BennaniLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4815-9905
,
Annie CornetLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5015-5532
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(1).2025.17
-
Article InfoVolume 23 2025, Issue #1, pp. 225-237
- 99 Views
-
17 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This study explores the dynamics of career anchors shaped by organizational, individual, and societal determinants in relation to women’s access to leadership positions in Moroccan sports federations. In a historically male-dominated setting, understanding these dynamics is essential for promoting more equitable and sustainable career progression. Between January and June 2024, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 female leaders from 12 federations, employing a qualitative interpretive approach and thematic analysis using NVivo 14. The findings highlight two anchors specific to the Moroccan socio-cultural context (family and social support and religious and cultural beliefs), which reveal the impact of cultural pressures and familial responsibilities that may hinder women’s advancement. Additionally, six other career anchors prevail in sports: emotional and professional security, managerial competencies, resilient challenge, technical skills, transformative commitment, and global outlook. The interplay of individual, organizational, and societal factors, along with these career anchors, shows that older women seek to make a lasting impact, while younger women prioritize challenges. Family and cultural support helps balance personal life and ambitions, while the development of managerial skills and a supportive work environment proves crucial. Moreover, the economic context, religious beliefs, cultural norms, and international legal frameworks heavily influence women’s career choices, prompting them to pursue stability, ethical alignment, and global opportunities. This study provides decision-makers with a clear understanding of the factors shaping women’s career trajectories and suggests tangible actions (fostering inclusive governance, advancing gender equality, and shifting mindsets) that can enhance the overall performance of the Moroccan sports sector.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)D87, J71, L83
-
References45
-
Tables1
-
Figures3
-
- Figure 1. Hierarchical diagram – Distribution of career anchors by number of references
- Figure 2. Percentage distribution of career anchors among women leaders in Moroccan sports
- Figure 3. Mapping codes and sub-codes of key determinants derived from the coding of interviews with women
-
- Table 1. Matrix cross-referencing key determinants and dominant career anchors in the Moroccan federal sports sector
-
- Abousaid, F. Z., & Angade, K. (2018). An exploratory study of culture and entrepreneurial behaviour of Muslim women managers: what is their impact on business performance? The case of Morocco. International Journal of Advances in Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship, 5(10).
- ACNOA. (2020). Le President de l’acnoa fait le point sur les mesures prises jusqu’a la fin de l’anee 2020 [2020 Report of the General Secretariat of the African Olympic Movement]. (In French).
- Adriaanse, J. A., & Claringbould, I. (2016). Gender equality in sport leadership: From the Brighton Declaration to the Sydney Scoreboard. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 51(5), 547-566.
- Adriaanse, J. A., & Schofield, T. (2013). Analysing gender dynamics in sport governance: A new regimes-based approach. Sport Management Review, 16(4), 498-513.
- Amara, M. (2012). Sport, politics and society in the Arab world. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Baum, R., Pepliński, B., Wajszczuk, K., Wawrzynowicz, J., & Wańkowicz, J. (2015). Determinanty kultury organizacyjnej przedsiębiorstwa rolniczego [Determinants of organizational culture in agricultural enterprise]. Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development, 9(2), 161-169. (In Polish).
- Baumgartner, M. S., & Schneider, D. E. (2010). Perceptions of women in management: A thematic analysis of razing the glass ceiling. Journal of Career Development, 37(2), 559-576.
- Bentoudja, L., & Razafindranovona, T. (2020). Être parent: Des cadres aux ouvrières, plus de conséquences sur l’emploi des femmes [Parenthood: From executives to blue-collar workers, more consequences for women’s employment]. Insee Première, (1795), 1-4. (In French).
- Betzer-Tayar, M., Zach, S., Galily, Y., & Henry, I. (2017). Barriers to women’s access to decision-making positions in sport organizations: The case of establishing a girls’ volleyball academy in Israel. Journal of Gender Studies, 26(4), 418-431.
- Blau, F. D., & Kahn, L. M. (2017). The gender wage gap: Extent, trends, and explanations. Journal of Economic Literature, 55(3), 789-865.
- Brière, S. (2006). La progression des femmes dans des postes de direction dans l’administration publique en Tunisie et au Maroc [The rise of women in senior positions in public administration in Tunisia and Morocco]. École Nationale d’Administration Publique, Université du Québec. (In French).
- Burton, L. J. (2015). Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: A review of research. Sport Management Review, 18(2), 155-165.
- Chafai, H. (2017). Contextualising street sexual harassment in Morocco: A discriminatory socio-cultural representation of women. The Journal of North African Studies, 22(5), 821-840.
- Chang, C. L.-H. (2022). Do career anchors matter to IT personnel? Human Systems Management, 41(5), 597-611.
- Chang, L.-H., & Wu, S. (2023). The relationship between discrepancies in career anchors of information technology personnel and career satisfaction. Behavioral Sciences, 13(9), Article 785.
- Dražić, M. C., Petrović, I. B., & Vukelić, M. (2018). Career ambition as a way of understanding the relation between locus of control and self-perceived employability among psychology students. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 1729.
- Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
- Fernández, J. J., & Valiente, C. (2021). Gender quotas and public demand for increasing women’s representation in politics: An analysis of 28 European countries. European Political Science Review, 13(3), 351-370.
- Frost, F., & Singh, J. N. (2023). Breaking in Morocco: Opportunities and challenges for professionalization and gender equality in the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games. Global Hip Hop Studies, 4(2), 91-107.
- Glass, C., & Cook, A. (2016). Leading at the top: Understanding women’s challenges above the glass ceiling. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(1), 51-63.
- Heilman, M. E. (2001). Description and prescription: How gender stereotypes prevent women’s ascent up the organizational ladder. The Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 657-674.
- Henry, I., & Robinson, L. (2010). Gender equity and leadership in Olympic bodies. Loughborough, UK: Centre for Olympic Studies and Research, Loughborough University and International Olympic Committee.
- Hlady Rispal, M. (2002). La méthode des cas. Applications à la recherche en gestion [The case method. Applications to management research]. De Boeck. (In French).
- Hovden, J. (2010). Female top leaders – Prisoners of gender? The gendering of leadership discourses in Norwegian sports organizations. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2(2), 189-203.
- Huberman, M., & Miles, M. B. (1991). Analyse des données qualitatives: Recueil de nouvelles methods [Analysis of qualitative data: Collection of new methods]. De Boeck Université. (In French).
- Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women. In M.J. Handel (Ed.), The Sociology of Organizations: Classic, Contemporary, and Critical Readings (pp. 291-298). Sage Publications.
- Knoppers, A., van Doodewaard, C., & Spaaij, R. (2024). (Un)doing gender inequalities in sport organizations. Journal of Sport Management, 38(6), 438-446.
- Laufer, J. (2014). Repères bibliographiques [Bibliographical references]. In J. Laufer (Ed.), L’égalité professionnelle entre les femmes et les hommes. [Bibliographic references. Professional equality between women and men] (p. 111-124). La Découverte. (In French).
- Lorber, J., Reskin, B. F., & Roos, P. A. (1991). Job queues, gender queues: Explaining women’s inroads into male occupations. Contemporary Sociology, 20(6).
- Mandel, H., & Semyonov, M. (2005). Family policies, wage structures, and gender gaps: Sources of earnings inequality in 20 countries. American Sociological Review, 70(6), 949-967.
- Maningo, S.K. (2023). Les trajectoires professionnelles des femmes diplômées d’enseignement supérieur dans la Province du Haut-Katanga (RDC) [The career paths of female higher education graduates in Haut-Katanga Province (DRC)] (Thesis). ULiège – Université de Liège.
- McDonald, N., Schoenebeck, S., & Forte, A. (2019). Reliability and inter-rater reliability in qualitative research: Norms and guidelines for CSCW and HCI practice. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 3(CSCW), 1-23.
- Milanović, S. (2019). Career anchors of secondary school teachers. Economic Themes, 57(3), 381-396.
- Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (2004). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
- Nowak, M. J., & Bonner, D. (2013). Juggling work and family demands: Lifestyle career anchors for female healthcare professionals. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 6(1), 3-11.
- Pape, M. (2020). Gender segregation and trajectories of organizational change: The underrepresentation of women in sports leadership. Gender & Society, 34(1), 81-105.
- Pfister, G., & Radtke, S. (2009). Sport, women, and leadership: Results of a project on executives in German sports organizations. European Journal of Sport Science, 9(4), 229-243.
- Sahraoui, D. (2011). Pratiques RH et plafond de verre: Cas des femmes cadres dans les grandes entreprises marocaines [HR practices and the glass ceiling: the case of women executives in large Moroccan companies] (Thesis). Universite Cadi Ayyad. (In French).
- Schein, E. H. (1996). Career anchors revisited: Implications for career development in the 21st century. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 10(4), 80-88.
- Schein, V. E. (2001). A global look at psychological barriers to women’s progress in management. The Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 675-688.
- Sem, P., & Cornet, A. (2018). Méthodes de recherche en sciences économiques et de gestion [Research methods in economics and management]. Sarrebruck, Germany: Edition Universitaire Européenne. (In French).
- Shaw, S., & Hoeber, L. (2016). Unclipping our wings: Ways forward in research on gender and sport management. Sport Management Review, 19(3), 255-265.
- Wirth, L. (2001). Breaking through the glass ceiling: Women in management. Geneva: International Labour Office.
- Xie, Q. (2013, November). Agree or disagree? A demonstration of an alternative statistic to Cohen’s Kappa for measuring the extent and reliability of agreement between observers. In Proceedings of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology Research Conference (Vol. 4, pp. 294-306).
- Yusuf, M. A., & Abiddin, N.Z. (2018). Relationship between training and job performance to enhance human resource development. International Journal for Education, 11(1).
-
The growth strategies of a global pharmaceutical company: a case study of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 15, 2017 Issue #1 (cont.) pp. 248-259 Views: 3085 Downloads: 3200 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯGiven the rapid and sustained growth of Aspen over the past decade, the main aim of this study is to identify and analyze the growth strategies, adopted by Aspen over the period from 2004 to 2014. The research method used was a descriptive study through a single case study of Aspen by analyzing secondary data in the form of publicly available company reports and presentations, as well as financial results, issued between 2004 and 2014. The study finds that, guided by strategic and visionary leadership, Aspen adopted a number of growth strategies including (i) organic growth, as a key factor in creating incremental value for Aspen and its stakeholders, (ii) inorganic growth, in the form of carefully planned and well executed acquisitions, aligned to the Group strategy, (iii) extending territorial coverage through global expansion, particularly into emerging pharmaceutical countries, and (iv) ongoing investment in production capabilities as a means of achieving a strategic advantage. Despite the challenges of intense competition, restrictive legislation, pressure on medicine prices, currency volatility and market specific risks, Aspen has delivered double-digit earnings growth to its shareholders for 16 consecutive years.
-
The impact of inclusive leadership behaviors on innovative workplace behavior with an emphasis on the mediating role of work engagement
Dheyaa Falih Bannay ,
Mohammed Jabbar Hadi ,
Ahmed Abdullah Amanah
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.18(3).2020.39
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 18, 2020 Issue #3 pp. 479-491 Views: 2742 Downloads: 1051 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯWork creativity manifested in innovative workplace behavior (IWB) and employee work engagement is fundamental to maintaining firm’s sustainability and competitiveness. In this regard, this study investigates the supporting effect of innovative leadership on IWB and employee engagement by maximizing employee vigor, dedication, and absorption. The study data were collected using a questionnaire-based technique, and the questionnaires were administered to 150 respondents working in mobile phone companies in Southern and Central Iraq. The results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and SmartPLS software. The study results revealed that inclusive leadership and work engagement were significantly related to IWB, and work engagement played a mediating role between inclusive leadership and IWB. The findings further indicated that inclusive leadership behaviors such as openness, accessibility, and availability motivated the subordinates to be engaged in IWB. To promote IWB, company leaders need to effectively engage their followers by taking pride and satisfaction in employee output, which might help employee work engagement and IWB.
-
The effect of leadership and organizational culture on employee performance that is educated by motivation (study on the implementation empowerment programs in Jayapura city)
Nansi Lidya Lolowang , Eka Afnan Troena , Atim Djazuli ,
Siti Aisjah
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.17(1).2019.23
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 17, 2019 Issue #1 pp. 268-277 Views: 2612 Downloads: 1160 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯVillages and sub-districts in Jayapura city are public organizations that provide service to the community. Villages and urban organizations require leadership, organizational culture and strong work motivation to support performance improvement. This research was conducted in 39 villages and sub-districts in the city of Jayapura. The population of this study was permanent employees in the villages and sub-districts in the city of Jayapura, which numbered 96 employees. All populations were chosen as research respondents, this research was census research. The analytical tool used in the research is Partial Least Square (PLS). The results of the study show that, first, direct leadership has no significant effect on employee performance, second, organizational culture has a significant effect on employee performance, third, leadership has a significant effect on work motivation, fourth, organizational culture has a significant effect on work motivation, fifth, work motivation has a significant effect on employee performance, sixth, work motivation is a perfect mediator of the influence of leadership on employee performance, seventh, work motivation as a partial mediator of the influence of organizational culture on employee performance.
