In my search for tips on how to coach the female athlete, I came across an article discussing 'male student-athletes perception and experiences with female head coaches.' That’s when I decided to shift my research on female coaches instead.
What I learned from my research, particularly from an article written by authors of the 'Journal for the study of sports and athletes in education' was that although there is an increasing number of female participation in sport, there is a decline in the number of female coaches (Siegele, Smith & Hardin, 2019, para. 2). I found this interesting and decided to explore the topic farther.
The article continues to explain a study that took place to examine 'male student-athletes perception and experiences with female head coaches' as they found it common for men to coach women's teams but rare for a female to coach a man's team (Siegele, Smith & Hardin, 2019, para. 2).
Before discussing the findings of the study i'd first like to direct the focus on what the researchers/ authors found in regard to why its uncommon for woman to coach male sport teams, as the uncoverings relate back to inequality, sexism and sterotypical gender roles. All topics that I set out to explore in this journey to create 'Female Empowerment in Sports.' To restate, my goal with 'Female Empowerment in Sports' is to promote sport and or fitness for life while also empowering, educating, and inspiring females with hopes to eliminate some of the barriers and inequality that still exists in sport today. Hence my decision to quote information from paragraphs one and two in the 'Role Congruity Theory' section of the article;
"Men have historically dominated leadership positions, so prejudice and stereotyping of women’s capabilities limit their ascension to managerial roles (Eagly & Karau, 2002). Eagly and Karau (2002) highlighted this prejudice towards women as leaders through role congruity theory. Role congruity theory was developed from social role theory, which explains that societal norms cause individuals to associate certain attributes or characteristics with each gender such as caring, sensitive, and sympathetic for women, and assertive, confident, and dominant for men (Eagly, 1987). These stereotypes are deeply embedded, observable through every day gender role activities, and form perceptions of capability in the workplace (Eagly, 1987; Eagly, Wood, & Diekman, 2000). Role congruity theory takes gender norms found in social role theory a step further explaining that women are perceived as less desirable than men in leadership positions (Eagly & Karau, 2002). Women encounter issues with leadership due to the tension between qualities needed for leadership (e.g. masculinity, dominance, aggression, self-efficacy) and female gender norm attributes ingrained in society (Eagly & Karau, 2002). This conflict leads to suspicion of competence, commitment, and causes a lack of support for female leaders (Konrad & Cannings, 1997; Taylor & Hardin, 2016). Ultimately, these norms and values found in society lead to the women’s lack of ascension to leadership roles (i.e. head coaches) or a less favorable evaluation of skill and behavior compared to their male peers (Eagly & Karau, 2002). Additionally, sport is a space where hegemonic masculinity persists. As a result, traditional stereotypes of masculinity, such as physical dominance and heterosexuality, preserve the entrenched dominance of men over women as well as men who do not fit the stereotype (Connell, 2009). The consequence of this conflict between feminine gender norms and leadership qualities causes female leaders to be trapped in a double bind; they cannot simultaneously act in ways consistent with their gender and leadership roles, thus prejudice occurs (Eagly & Karau, 2002)." (Siegele, Smith & Hardin, 2019).
Again, I found the information in the paragraph above important to include in my blog to help my readers better understand what it is that creates challenges for women in sport to obtain and or be respected in leadership roles.
Now, let's discuss the findings from the study in terms of male student-athletes perceptions and experiences with their female coaches.
To summarize, the male student-athletes perceptions and experiences turned out to be quite positive. What I found particularly interesting was they describe their coaching approaches and communication to be more "simple, direct and digestible" in comparison to their male coaches. They also considered their female coaches ability to be empathetic "more beneficial than the male instructors" methods of coaching as it allowed them to better understand each athlete individually. Ultimately assisting their ability to better improve the team as a whole by knowing how to approach each individual and what to work on with them (Siegele, Smith & Hardin, 2019, paras. 30-31). I found this interesting because the 'Role congruity theory' describes the female characteristic and ability to be more empathetic as a negative attribute for someone in a leadership role. Whereas, the male athletes found the characteristic to be extremely beneficial and something their male instructors should improve in.
The findings in this study are important to reflect on in order for more opportunities to open for females to acquire coaching and other leadership roles in sport. Woman will always be "wired" differently than men, this does not mean that their teaching methods are ineffective but rather independent in comparison to the coaching approaches of men. The more we accept woman and men working together in sport and society as a whole, the more successful we will be.
While on the topic of female coaches, I found it fitting to recognize some powerful and outstanding women in coaching positions.
First up we have Pat Summitt. (Woman in the middle)
Pat holds 1098 victories on the court as she coached the University of Tennessee's basketball team for close to four decades, obtaining 8 national titles (GoodSport, 2020, para. 2).
Next up is NFL coach Lori Locus.
Lori has coached a variety of different levels of football teams over the years, both male and female teams. However, she's mostly commonly known as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Assistant D-Line coach (Female Coaching Network, 2020, para. 7).
The third woman i'd like to recognize is MLB coach Alyssa Nakken.
In January of 2020 Alyssa not only became the assistant coach for the Giants but also became the first full-time female coach in MLB history (Female Coaching Network, 2020, para. 9).
Next up is GB Paralympic Track and Field Head Coach, Paula Dunn.
Over her coaching career Paula has lead a variety of teams to some of their most successful World and European Championships. As the GB Paralympic Track and Field Head Coach in Rio, Paula helped her team achieve their biggest medal haul yet, (15 Gold, 7 Silver and 11 Bronze) totalling 33 medals that year.
Patience Igbiti is another Paralympic coach i'd like to recognize.
Just like Paula, Patience was coaching at the 2016 Paralympic games in Rio. She was the only female coach for the Nigerian powerlifting team of 23 athletes.
The last female i'd like to recognize is Hayley Wickenheiser, a former coach of mine.
From the time I was six years old until I was 10 I attended a female spring/summer hockey camp in Canmore AB which Hayley helped run and coached occasionally. Although Hayley never coached much she was and continues to be one of the most widely known female leader and former athlete in the sporting industry, as well as one of the most recognizable role models for young girls and woman, especially in Canada. Hayley also finished medical school during covid, becoming a medical doctor on top of all of her other achievements as of this year.
These are just six of the many powerful and outstanding female leaders in the sporting industry. It's important to recognize such women and their accomplishments, as the article discussed early states that it assists in developing more opportunities for women to pursue a career in sports (Siegele, Smith & Hardin, 2019, para. 2).
References
Female Coaching Network. (2020, March 7). Alyssa Nakken [Photograph]. https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2020/03/07/celebrating-24-female-coaches-for-international-womens-day-2020/
Female Coaching Network. (2020, March 7). Celebrating 24 Female Coaches for International Women's Day 2020. https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2020/03/07/celebrating-24-female-coaches-for-international-womens-day-2020/
Female Coaching Network. (2020, March 7). Lori Locus [Photograph]. https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2020/03/07/celebrating-24-female-coaches-for-international-womens-day-2020/
Female Coaching Network. (2016, October 7). Paula Dunn - Interview. https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2016/10/07/paula-dunn-interview/
Female Coaching Network. (2016, October 7). Paula Dunn [Photograph]. https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2016/10/07/paula-dunn-interview/
Female Coaching Network. (2016, September 9). Paralympic Coach Profile; Patience Igbiti (Powerlifting Nigeria). https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2016/09/09/paralympic-coach-profile-patience-igbiti-powerlifting-nigeria/
Female Coaching Network. (2016, September 9). Patience Igbiti [Photograph]. https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2016/09/09/paralympic-coach-profile-patience-igbiti-powerlifting-nigeria/
GoodSport. (2020). Pat Summitt [Photograph]. https://www.goodsport.me/the-10-best-female-coaches-of-all-time/
GoodSport. (2020). The 10 Best Female Coaches of all Time. https://www.goodsport.me/the-10-best-female-coaches-of-all-time/
Heroux, D. (2020, March 27). Hayley Wickenheiser, six-time Olympian and an ER Doctor in training. (Hayley Wickenheiser/ Canadian Press) [Photograph]. CBC.
Siegele, J. L., Smith, A. B., & Hardin, R. (2019). Male collegiate student-athletes’ experiences and perceptions of female head coaches. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 13(1), 30–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/19357397.2019.1578161
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