Sport as a Pathway to Political Office and its Gendered Effects
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6378974 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William P Cro (0000-0002-1700-031X, Carleton University, corresponding author), William P Cross (Carleton University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 189-205 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Representation (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0034-4893 • E-ISSN: 1749-4001 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00344893.2024.2373162 |
| OpenAlex | W4400651777 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 52 |
This paper finds that a background in competitive, organised sports is common among those active in electoral politics. Unique data collected through surveys of federal election candidates and local party association presidents together with the examination of candidate and MP biographies establish that many have a sporting background. This sporting experience offers the opportunity for individuals to acquire skills beneficial to political candidacy and makes them more attractive to party gatekeepers. This paper then connects this, and the significantly lower sports participation rates among women/girls, to their consistent under-representation in the pool of election candidates presented by Canada's political parties and at every level of our elected legislatures. Women/girls participate in sports at significantly lower levels than men/boys. Men thus benefit disproportionately from both the personal skills developed through sports that lead to formal political participation and the local notoriety desired by party candidate search committees that sports participation offers
Media studies · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Law · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
Democracy within Parties
Party Members and Activists
It Takes a Candidate
Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership
Sex differences and statistical stereotyping in attitudes toward financial risk
Why women don’t run
Baker, Bus Driver, Babysitter, Candidate? Revealing the Gendered Development of Political Ambition Among Ordinary Americans
The Impact of Gender Quotas
Quotas for Women in Politics
It Still Takes A Candidate
Rethinking the ambition gap
Aspirant candidate behaviour and progressive political ambition
Gender Quotas as a Global Phenomenon
Auditing party democracy
Narcissistic Women and Cash-Strapped Men
From Miss World to World Leader
If Only They’d Ask
Political Parties and the Adoption of Candidate Gender Quotas
The Contagion of Women Candidates in Single-Member District and Proportional Representation Electoral Systems
Research Note
Electoral Gender Quotas
Why Won't Lola Run? An Experiment Examining Stereotype Threat and Political Ambition
Why Are Fewer Women than Men Elected? Gender and the Dynamics of Candidate Selection
Informal Influences in Selecting Female Political Candidates
Legislative recruitment
Women's Representation in Parliament
Democracy, Representation, and Women
The Importance of Local Party Activity in Understanding Canadian Politics
Gatekeeping by Central and Local Party Actors
Undisciplined Constituency Campaign Behaviour in Canadian Federal Elections
The Politics of Tecumseh Corners
The Local Determinants of Representation
Do Women Get Fewer Votes? No
Women Don't Run? Election Aversion and Candidate Entry
Gender Differences in Preferences
Candidate Selection in Canada
Who you know
Personalization of campaigns in an SMP system
Sacrificial lambs, women candidates, and district competitiveness in Canada
Unwarranted and Invasive Scrutiny
Self Esteem, Academic Achievement, and Moral Development Among Adolescent Girls
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |