Disrupting the doxa: how women leaders in soccer facilitate other women on their career paths – a Bourdieusian perspective

This qualitative study examines barriers and facilitation processes experienced by women in leadership positions in German and international football. Using Bourdieu's field theory, we analyse how orthodox structures and the doxa of male dominance shape career trajectories, access to resources, and capital accumulation. Problem-centred interviews with female leaders from diverse football organisations were analysed thematically. Findings show persistent gender-based barriers at individual, social, and institutional levels, including stereotyping, homosocial reproduction, exclusion from influential networks, and the channelling of women into less prestigious, resource-poor domains such as women's football. Facilitation, conceptualised as collaborative, process-oriented support, emerged as a strategic heterodox practice that helps women navigate field constraints, contest rules, and enable others' advancement.