Gender matters in sport event volunteering

Abstract

The theoretical framework of Hustinx and Lammertyn on reflexive and traditional styles of volunteering is used to examine the differences between female and male volunteers at a sport event. Our study of the Nordic Skiing World Cup 2010 is an online-study involving pre- and post-event questionnaires. There were 659 respondents who answered both the questionnaires, a response rate of 63%. Our findings confirm the results from an earlier study by Downward Lumsdon, and Ralston (2005) that a major reason for women to volunteer is to improve their social capital and to become involved in useful networks. Motives were also examined in relation to membership of the sport club and/or history of previous volunteering. Men scored more highly on external and intrinsic motives. The data show that women to a lesser degree were members of a sport club and had less previous experience of volunteering at events than the men. The sport event seems to be a meeting place between traditional volunteers, dominated by males who are members of sport clubs with previous experience from other events, and the late modern volunteer culture which characterizes younger females.