At the most recent Olympic Games only 11 % of all accredited coaches were female
The negative experiences and chronic emotional toll put on female coaches often lead to lower job and sport satisfaction , burnout and eventual withdrawal . Numerous qualitative studies indicate that female coaches simply feel tired from constantly battling the existing barriers and eventually give up , which results in less role models other women could follow . This also means that female coaches ( and , potentially , male coaches working with feminine sports ) fail to achieve their potential .
But it is not only the individual who suffers . We , as a sport community and wider society , are also disadvantaged by the existing gender gap and gendered stereotypes still dominating sports culture . Put bluntly , the talent pool from which we are choosing the best candidates is undiversified and limited in scope . We may think we are using objective criteria , but what we really need is neutral and gender-free criteria .
Perhaps we shouldn ’ t be surprised that there are only a handful of elite female coaches , or by the lack of female coaches coaching male teams of any level , let alone professional . Language and behaviours constantly remind female coaches that they don ’ t belong . Stress is placed on the gender of female coaches , but not male ; of female sports but not male ; of female achievements but not male . Kane ( 1994 ) argued that we should move away from a gender segregated understanding and categorisation of sport performance ( i . e . male-female binary ) towards a continuum based on the skills and competence one demonstrates .
The solution
With support from the Olympic Study Centre , Dr Heather Douglas and I , from the University of Newcastle , set out to explore experiences of male and female elite coaches across a variety of sports worldwide through a lens of perceived stereotypes and imposter feelings influencing job coaches ’ job satisfaction . While looking at elite coaches will not solve the problem , we hope it will shed more light on how we can do better at the grassroots level to develop a better path to elite coaching for all .
It is , however , a long process requiring all of us to chip in . There are ways we can all play a part in addressing this problem :
• Boys and men need female coaches so that they can see women in leadership positions . This will challenge gendered roles , stereotypes and status quo . Men , women and non-binary people can all be competent leaders , but seeing and experiencing competent female coaches in charge of male teams will help men gain respect for women in leadership roles and change the perceived status quo .
• Girls and women need to have role models that will inspire them to pursue careers in sport . While participation rates among girls and women have been growing rapidly over the last years due to heavy investments in grassroot sport ( see Football Federation Australia , 2019 ), similar investments into grassroot coaching are needed . The
more women engage with coaching positions at local clubs and with lower level athletes , the more women will progress into elite sport .
• Sport and fitness professionals , in general , need to re-examine their predefined beliefs , socialisation , perspectives and unconscious biases to challenge status quo to develop a much-needed selfawareness of how their implicit and explicit behaviours impact others .
• Sport is highly commercialised and driven by revenue . We need to start recognising competence and skills for what they are in all athletes and sport professionals , rather than let our gendered stereotypes and unconscious bias dictate how we talk about female professionals : marginalising language , sexist comments and doublestandards should be put aside when reporting performance . Equally , female coaches and professionals should receive the same neutral assessment of their performance as male professionals do . Competence , skill and performance under pressure is part of neutral unbiased assessment , while celebrating these skills in the context of gender reinforces unequal power dynamics and the illusion of equality in sport .
• We , as a sport community and society , need to stop blaming the marginalised groups and recognise the power we hold over them . Paradoxically , it is predominantly men who are in the positions to make hiring and policy decisions that promote women .
• Boys and men need to learn how to be allies to girls and women , especially when they are treated on the basis of sex rather than skills and competence .
The final word
It is unlikely that we will ever close the gender gap among higher level coaches , as it is a deeply ingrained societal problem . But why wouldn ’ t we give it a go so that this and future generations could have a better chance of achieving their full potential ? Who knows , maybe this is what we need for new records to be established – more female coaches at elite levels to offer different perspectives and to get the most out of their athletes . It is not about asking the female coaches to fit in , but making much needed change to create an environment suitable for all . After all , why do we keep investing in and learning how to use the newest piece of technology if we fail to do the same with human capital ?
REFERENCES
2 . Kane , M J & Greendorfer , S L ; “ The Media ’ s Role in Accommodating and Resisting Stereotyped Images of Women in Sport ”; pp28-44 , Women , Media and Sport ( edited by Pamela J . Creedon , 1994 )
click here for more info .
Dr Kotryna Fraser , PhD Kotryna is an Associate Lecturer in Sport and Performance Psychology at The University of Newcastle . She is also an accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist ( psychology support ) under the British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists ( BASES ).
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