Mansfield Town chief executive Carolyn Radford has claimed that football is still "full of dinosaurs" and believes that she is treated differently to men in the same role.
The 36-year-old, who has run the League Two club since 2011, was one of only seven female chief executives across the Premier League and EFL last season.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Radford has revealed that she is still on the receiving end of unprofessional behaviour and finds that her appearance is often commented on in boardrooms.
"My points are equally valid," said the Stags CEO. "When you walk into a room and someone's like, 'oh, you look gorgeous today'... I don't think they'd say that to another man.
"I just think, 'okay, it's their problem, not mine'. But equally, is it preventing other women from getting involved in the sport, in the fact that I'm not standing up and saying actively: 'No, this isn't good enough'?
"If I go into a boardroom, a lot of the time I'll be talking to other chairmen of other football clubs or other executives at a high level and they'll choose to just smile if I say anything, and talk to my husband [Mansfield chairman John Radford].
"Then we'll be coming home in the car and I think, 'What is this about? Why is our sport so full of dinosaurs?'"
Mansfield finished eighth in League Two last season, three points shy of the playoffs.
