Business Wire·Aug 31, 2026, 12:01 AM ET

e.l.f. Beauty and Parity Release “Girls Who Play Change the Game”, Connecting Girls' Sports Participation to Long-Term Workplace Impact

ELF

e.l.f. Beauty and Parity released a large-scale research report titled "Girls Who Play Change the Game" linking youth sports participation to women's workplace success.
The study surveyed over 9,500 respondents across the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Women who played sports for at least three years before finishing high school are nearly 50% more likely to hold leadership roles than those with little or no sports experience.
Everyday Athletes are 37% more likely to aspire to senior leadership and nearly 25% more likely to have negotiated their salaries compared to non-athletes.
Nearly 90% of Everyday Athletes who were promoted stated that a skill learned in sports helped them advance.
69% of Everyday Athletes with at least five years of work experience believe lessons from sports are more important than ever in the current workplace.
98% of professional women athletes surveyed said sports prepared them for life beyond their playing careers.
85% of men and women board members agreed that lessons from sports are important for future board members.
Data shows momentum is growing with 70% of Gen Z women playing sports through high school, up from 62% of Baby Boomers.
The report debuts at the third Power of Women's Sports Summit produced by Billie Jean King Enterprises with e.l.f. as the presenting partner.
Researchers surveyed 9,056 full-time working women, 328 professional women athletes, and 114 board members between June and August 2026.
Patrick O'Keefe of e.l.f. emphasized the commitment to democratizing access to both the playing field and the boardroom.
Leela Srinivasan of Parity noted that the benefits are linked to participation itself rather than elite status or professional athletic careers.