Women in Sports Coaching by LaVoi, Nicole M.;

Short description:

There is a lack of women coaches who coach women, and a near absence of women who coach men. This important new book examines why. Drawing on original multi-disciplinary research from around the world, it looks at the status of women in coaching, explores the complex issues they face, and suggests solutions for eliminating barriers.

Long description:

Women in many Westernized countries encounter a wider variety of career opportunities than afforded in previous decades, and the percentage of women leaders in nearly every sector is on the rise. Sport coaching, however, remains a domain where gender equity has declined or stalled, despite increasing female sport participation. The percentage of women who coach women are in the minority in most sports, and there is a near absence of women coaching men. This important new book examines why. Drawing on original multi-disciplinary research from across the globe, including first-hand accounts from practicing coaches, the book illuminates and examines the status of women in coaching, explores the complex issues they face in pursuing their careers, and suggests solutions for eliminating the barriers that impede women in coaching.

Developing an innovative model of intersectionality and power constructs through which to guide research, the book covers issues including sexual identity, race, motherhood, cross-gender coaching and media coverage to give voice to women coaches from around the world. As such, Women in Sports Coaching is essential reading for serious students and scholars of sports coaching, sport sociology or anyone with an interest in gender and sport.

"In the first book dedicated to a comprehensive examination of this topic, editor LaVoi (kinesiology, Univ. of Minnesota) investigates the opportunities, barriers, and experiences of women in the coaching profession and examines why sports coaching is still not gender equal. The work is thematically organized, beginning with the guiding theoretical model, followed by a focus on specific identities of women coaches (e.g., lesbians, mothers, women of color), issues surrounding the research of this particular topic, and finally, practical approaches for social change. Each chapter begins with an effective review of existing research concerning the chapter topic, applies the aforementioned model to the original work, and concludes with suggestions for future directions in research. Overall, the work is extensively researched and maintains a consistent narrative thread. A highlight is the wide-ranging interviews with women coaches, which offer a global perspective. Another strong contribution is the focus on the complex “intersectionality” of identities, power, and multiple variables besides gender that can contribute to the underrepresentation of women in coaching. This title is strongly recommended for any individual interested in sport or gender studies.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers."

A. Curtis, Lake Erie College, CHOICE (January 2017)

"LaVoi’s book is a strong contribution to the literature and demonstrates why women coaches matter and why it is important to have women in leadership positions in sport."

 Anne Tjønndal, Faculty of Social Science, Nord University, idrottsforum.org

Table of Contents:

Introduction Part 1: Underlying Theoretical Framework 1. A Framework to Understand Experiences of Women Coaches Around the Globe: The Ecological-Intersectional Model 2. A Socio-cultural Examination of a Lack of Women Coaches in Sport Leadership Positions 3. An Ecological/Multisystem Approach to Understanding and Examining Women Coaches Part 2: Women Coaches and Other Intersectional Identities 4. Lesbian Coaches and Homophobia 5. Women Coaches of Color: Examining the Effects of Intersectionality 6. Coaching and Motherhood 7. Cross-Gender Coaching: Women Coaching Men 8. Female Athletes Conceptions of Leadership: Coaching and Gender Implications 9. Female Assistant Coaches: Planting Seeds and Growing Roots Part 3: Seeing, Listening to and Researching Women Coaches 10. Women in the Sport Media: Where are the Coaches? 11. Hear Their Voices: Suggestions for Developing and Supporting Women Coaches from Around the World 12. Women in Coaching: Theoretical Underpinnings among Quantitative Analyses 13. Women in Coaching: Theoretical Underpinnings among Qualitative Research Part 4: Strategies for Change Concluding Thoughts: Creating Change for Women Coaches