Bearing the burden of doubt: female coaches' experiences of gender relations.
Based on interview research, this study examined how master female coaches based in the United Kingdom experienced relations with men within their profession. Using a feminist cultural studies approach to examine how sport promotes and maintains a gender order unfavorable to women, we found that female coaches felt the need to continually prove themselves and often experienced coaching as a hostile and intimidating culture. Participants reported a gradual reduction in such unwelcoming behavior from men, seemingly because they had proved to be no threat to the existing patriarchal structure. A critical exploration of coaching is needed to understand how masculine hegemony leads to women's relative powerlessness as coaches. Furthermore, the findings present a case for a greater emphasis on sociocultural education within the UK coaching curricula.
Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. L.J.Norman@leedsmet.ac.uk
Leanne
L
Norman
D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D019513:Feminism; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D013177:Sports / Q000193:education*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*