The UK Coaching System is Failing Women Coaches

Norman, Leanne

doi:10.1260/174795408787186431

Cited by 70 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Rankin-Wright, 2015;Allen and Shaw, 2009;Norman et al, 2014), and that many women coaches do not have faith or trust in those who are responsible for organising and leading their sport (e.g. Norman, 2008;2010;Allen and Shaw, 2013;Inglis et al, 2000). Our findings add that as well as 'race'…”

Section: Social Actualisationmentioning

confidence: 64%

Surviving rather than thriving: Understanding the experiences of women coaches using a theory of gendered social well-being

Norman

Rankin-Wright

2016

International Review for the Sociology of Sport

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In shifting our gaze to the sociological impact of being in the minority, the purpose of this study was to substantiate a model of gendered social well-being to appraise women coaches' circumstances, experiences and challenges as embedded within the social structures and relations of their profession. This is drawn on indepth interviews with a sample of head women coaches within the UK. The findings demonstrate that personal lives, relationships, social and family commitments were sidelined by many of the participants in order to meet the expectations of being a (woman) coach. We locate these experiences in the organisational practices of high performance sport which hinder women coaches from having meaningful control over their lives. The complexities of identity are also revealed through the interplay of gender with (dis)ability, age and whiteness as evidence of hegemonic femininity within the coaching profession. Consequently, for many women, coaching is experienced as a 'developmental dead-end'. IntroductionThe coaching literature and indeed, sport and gender research more broadly, is saturated with studies and writing around the issue of women's underrepresentation as coaches. The consensus is that the coaching profession has long been and continues to be, a white male dominated occupation and that this is a global issue. Within the UK, the context for the present study, the statistic remains that only one in five qualified coaches are women (Sports Coach UK, 2011). Globally, figures reveal that one in ten accredited Olympic coaches are women (Norman, 2014). To provide country-specific examples, Australia currently have no women as national managers for any sport other than for gymnastics and netball (Robertson, 2016). In Germany, 10% of high performance coaches and 13% of professional coaches are women (Robertson, 2016).Paradoxically, in Finland, a country known for its societal and political embrace of the notions of gender 2 equality, men are in the majority in coaching. In team sports, two thirds of head coaching roles are taken by men (Robertson, 2016). In Canada, the percentage of women in both high performance coaching and university head coaching roles is approximately 20% (Coaching Association of Canada, 2012;Donnelly and Kidd, 2011). Within the UK, the underrepresentation persists despite an improvement in wider social attitudes and legislation towards equality and diversity within the UK society (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2010) and the action in response to this legislative pressure by sporting organisations and national governing bodies. Since the introduction of the 2010 Equality Act by the UK Government, within sport and coaching there has been an increasing interest in and emergence of equalities on the agenda of policy makers and organisations (Nottinghamshire County Council, 2010), as part of a broader trend towards mainstreaming equality across the sectors (Mulderrig, 2007). Sporting governing bodies and organisations are seemingly providing more opportunities for minor...

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Section: Social Actualisationmentioning

confidence: 64%

Surviving rather than thriving: Understanding the experiences of women coaches using a theory of gendered social well-being

Norman

Rankin-Wright

2016

International Review for the Sociology of Sport

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“…Acosta & Carpenter, 2012;Cunningham & Sagas, 2002;Cunningham & Sagas, 2003a;Everhart & Chelladurai, 1998;Kamphoff, Armentrout & Driska, 2010;Kilty, 2006;Knoppers, 1994;Lowry & Lovett, 1997;Norman, 2008;Parks et al, 1995;Pastore, Inglis & Danylchuk, 1996;Theberge, 1993), highlighting the paradoxical global popularity of and participation in sport by women alongside the stagnation and even decline in the number of women in sports leadership. For example, the most recent report in the longitudinal research conducted by Acosta and Carpenter (2012) demonstrates that while the number of women coaches in U.S. collegiate sport has risen slightly since 2011, the number is still considerably lower than the inception of Title IX in 1972.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A crisis of confidence: women coaches' responses to their engagement in resistance

Norman

2012

Sport, Education and Society

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This study centres upon the accounts of master women coaches based in the UK, exploring how they have individually experienced such acts of resistance as reaching the top of such a male dominated profession. By going beyond previous positivist feminist approaches to this focus of inquiry, I employ a feminist cultural studies framework to understand how the social construction of what it means to be a woman impacts women coaches' individual sense of self and confidence to lead.The discussions are based upon semi-structured in-depth interviews with six senior national women coaches of team sports in the UK. The data highlights the success of masculine hegemony of coaching through documenting women's reluctance to advance their coaching career through a lack of self-belief and motivation as a consequence of their culturally and historically marginal position. The findings illustrate a pressing need for a revision of the dominant values inherent in professional sport in order to engage and retain potential women leaders.

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“…Indeed, according to various studies in Canada, the United States, and the UK, it appears that approximately 25% of the coaching population is female (Acosta & Carpenter, 2006;Kerr, Marshall, Sharp, & Stirling, 2006;Norman, 2008;Reade et al 2009). Studies on female coaches are also scarce (Gilbert & Trudel, 2004).…”

Section: Jarvis (2009) Explained That Socialization Is a Series Of Lementioning

confidence: 99%

Shaping the Way Five Women Coaches Develop: Their Primary and Secondary Socialization

Callary

Werthner

Trudel

2011

Journal of Coaching Education

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Using Jarvis ' (2006) psychosocial perspective of human learning, we explore how the career choices and the subsequent coaching approaches of five Canadian women coaches have been influenced by their primary and secondary socialization. A content analysis was performed to identify how coaches learned in their primary socialization with their family, and in their secondary socialization at school and in their sport experiences. The findings indicate that the learning situations in their primary and secondary socialization influence the coaches' career choices and their subsequent coaching approaches. These findings have implications for coaching education, enabling course developers and facilitators to understand (a) the importance of creating environments where coaches are able to critically reflect, and (b) how coaching approaches can be influenced by early life experiences.

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The UK Coaching System is Failing Women Coaches

Cited by 70 publications

References 36 publications

Surviving rather than thriving: Understanding the experiences of women coaches using a theory of gendered social well-being

Surviving rather than thriving: Understanding the experiences of women coaches using a theory of gendered social well-being

A crisis of confidence: women coaches' responses to their engagement in resistance

Shaping the Way Five Women Coaches Develop: Their Primary and Secondary Socialization

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