Passage Through the Leadership Labyrinth: Women’s Journey in the Collegiate Recreation Profession

The metaphor “glass ceiling” does not accurately articulate the complexities of experiences had by women as they progress in their professional career. The leadership labyrinth serves as a theoretical framework to describe the intricacies of women’s journeys throughout their professional career and personal life. The framework implies that there are walls all around and that the journey for women is complex. Human capital, gender differences, and prejudice influence women’s decisions about their professional trajectory in collegiate recreation. Using interviews of 36 women, this qualitative study used a phenomenological approach that concentrated on the direct experience of women. The study explored the trajectory of women working in collegiate recreation to understand their lived experience. Results from this study indicate four distinct themes: barriers, mentorship/allyship, self-efficacy/competence and interventions. The findings for this study provide insight into how mentors and supervisors can address organizational culture and support women’s leadership development while working in collegiate recreation. The study offers discussion and implications for future research and practice to address the complexities women experience while navigating their passage through the leadership labyrinth.