The queen bee syndrome in higher education institutions offering sport education

This study is conducted to determine whether the female academicians who work in higher education institutions offering sport education face with obstacles that may hinder them from promoting to a higher position in their careers because of other women in higher positions (the queen bees) trying to prevent them from attaining their career goals by not allowing the competitive sphere and by using their authority and personal efforts. The study consists of five chapters. In the first chapter, the literature related to the role of women in the society and professional life. In the second chapter, the detailed information about the notions of "glass ceiling syndrome" and "queen bee syndrome" which are faced by women in their working lives are presented. In the third chapter, the methodology of the study is explained. Qualitative research methods are utilized in the present study. Face to face interview method is chosen as the data collection tool and the interviews with 29 volunteering women academicians are made upon choosing the women academicians working at Faculty of Sport Sciences and/or School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences as the sampling group. The data collected are analyzed through the Nvivo software. In the fourth chapter, the findings of the study and the discussions are presented. In the fifth and the last chapter are the conclusion and further recommendations sections. As a result of the study, it is found that the majority of the women academicians working in the higher education institutions offering sport education experience the glass ceiling syndrome due to their own prejudices and they are also exposed to the queen bee syndrome by their women administrators. Key words: glass ceiling syndrome, queen bee syndrome, sport, university, women academicians