The Barriers and Facilitating Factors Experienced by Women during their Esports Leadership Careers: A Study in East Asia

Although women remain underrepresented in all facets of esports leadership (e.g., executive organisational and coaching positions), few empirical studies have explored the underrepresentation issue (Piggott et al., 2022; Rogstad 2022; Darvin et al., 2021). Offering new theoretical and empirical insights, this project aims to explore the perceived barriers to, and facilitating factors for, female representation in esports leadership positions in East Asia. Adopting a qualitative research approach, this study will interview female esports leaders in East Asia. Advancing current understanding of the underrepresentation of women in esports, this research utilises culture and intersectionality theory to explore career journeys of female esports leaders in East Asia. The findings will inform a conceptual, multi-level model which captures the range of barriers and facilitators. Practical implications for esports organisations will also be recommended to enhance the representation of women in esports leadership in East Asia.

This research looks at why there are so few women in leadership roles (like executives and coaches) in esports, especially in East Asia. While we know women are underrepresented in esports, not much research has been done to understand why. Especially, there has been a lack of knowledge in phenomena in different cultural backgrounds, such as East Asia where esports is very well developed. To find answers, the study will interview female esports leaders/professionals in the region, exploring both the obstacles they face and the factors that help them succeed. The researchers will use cultural and social theories to better understand esports women's career paths in East Asia. The goal is to create a model that explains the factors influencing women's careers development in esports based on cultural theories and intersectionality. The findings will also provide practical advice for esports organizations to help improve gender diversity especially in leadership roles.