The purpose of this study is to explore the biographical understanding of professional socialization and the glass ceiling through occupational socialization theory as perceived by women sports leaders working in sports centers and to provide improvement plans accordingly. Participants consisted of six women sports leaders working at sports centers in metropolitan cities of South Korea (two in taekwondo, two in pilates, one in yoga, and one in fitness; one in her 50s, two in their 40s, and three in their 30s). Data collection was conducted using one-on-one semi-structured interviews, observations, and field notes, and the collected data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. A result was that the women sports leaders experienced gender-discriminatory behaviors and male-centered culture in the field of physical education from childhood, which acted as a temporary obstacle to their occupational choice as a sports leader. Further, such gender-discriminatory experiences continued in the stage of professional development as well as in the current position, functioning as an impediment factor in enhancing their professionalism and status. The experiences were divided into five key themes as follows: (1) sports activity in childhood and career milestones, (2) professional development and limitations as a woman sports leader, (3) discrimination and injustice against women sports leaders in sports centers, (4) institutional inequality against women's labor in sports centers, and (5) lack of sports infrastructure and governmental policy support for women. Implications and plans for improving the occupational stability, professionalism, and promotion of women sports leaders were discussed in detail.
