GENDER EQUALITY
IN SPORTS COACHING
The coaching space in the competitive sporting world is overwhelmingly populated by men , prompting Dr Kotryna Fraser , an expert in sport and performance psychology , to ask
OW TO CHANGE YOUR
whether coaching really is a man ’ s job .
W ho comes to mind when someone says “ Hey , coach !”?
I hope you proved me wrong , but the majority of people most likely have an image of a middle-age white man with a whistle in his hands . I certainly still do . More often than not , such an image is true when talking about high performance coaches . Look at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – only 11 % of all accredited coaches were female , and according to
Norman ( 2017 ), almost half of all countries taking part at the Games had no female coaches on their National Team . Female coaches made up only 9 % of our Australian National Team at Rio 2016 . It seems that a stereotypical
THE QUICK READ
• A very small proportion of professional sports coaches are female
• Researchers have identified numerous barriers experienced by female coaches during their careers
• The negative experiences and chronic emotional toll put on female coaches often lead to lower job and sport satisfaction , burnout and eventual withdrawal
• If females are not being considered for coaching positions , the talent pool from which candidates are selected is undiversified and limited in scope
• A number of changes , from the grassroots level up , can provide experiences that have the ability to change perceptions and behaviours , resulting in greater numbers of female coaches . image of a middle-age white male overseeing athletes ’ performance is representative of the actual landscape of elite coaches worldwide .
Sport , gender , and unconscious bias
Rarely do we think about the purpose of sport from a sociocultural perspective . Historically , sport was created by men for men to exercise their aggressiveness , masculinity , and perceived superiority over women , as a response to a new political reality of the 19th century and feminisation ( i . e ., women becoming more equal at public spaces such as schools and workplaces ). Fast-forward to 2020 and women are still perceived to be a weaker and inferior species . Comments such as “ boys don ’ t cry ”, “ you kick like a girl ” or “ coaching is a man ’ s job ” illustrate gendered norms still existing in sport .
Importantly , such comments continue to marginalise women and glorify status quo masculine ideals by ignoring our advanced knowledge about such ‘ ideals ’ ( e . g ., prevalence of mental health issues among elite athletes and high achievers ).
Let ’ s jump through yet another hurdle …
Researchers have identified numerous barriers experienced by female coaches during their careers :
• marginalising male-dominant culture where female coaches ’ skills , competence and hiring is constantly challenged by male counterparts on the basis of sex
• experiences of prejudice , sexism and abusive language during coach education courses
• societal pressure to look after family , forcing them to leave coaching due to time commitments away from home and working unsociable hours .
Combined , these barriers can lead to feelings of fraudulence , internalised experiences of failure and inability to recognise success ( i . e . imposter feelings ) as the sports environment and culture suggests that female coaches simply don ’ t belong .
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