Women who played sports in childhood are more likely to reach leadership positions in business, reports infohub.kz.
As People writes, e.l.f. Beauty, together with the Parity platform, conducted a large-scale study as part of the Power of Women's Sports Summit 2026. Experts surveyed more than 9,500 respondents from the US, UK, Canada, and Germany. The focus was on women who played sports for at least three years during their school years and continued to build careers.
The results showed that such employees are 50% more likely to hold leadership positions compared to those who did not engage in sports. Furthermore, former athletes are 37% more likely to aspire to top executive roles and nearly 25% more active in negotiating salary increases. Almost 90% of respondents confirmed that skills gained in training directly helped them advance in their careers.
The report's authors emphasize that participation in competitions and teamwork plays a key role, not achieving professional records. Physical activity helps girls develop discipline, leadership qualities, and resilience to stress. The researchers expressed hope that the findings will inspire society to actively support and develop school sports for girls.