Female coaches are essential for the survival of youth sport. There, I said it, not only did I say it, I believe it. Look it up, do some research and by pretty any type of report, article or study you might find, it will indicate that female coaches probably make up as little as 15% of all youth sport coaches, and for some of the traditionally male dominated sports or for boys teams, the number is probably somewhere in the area of one-third of that percentage.
Why ? At a time where volunteers in youth sport overall seem to be dwindling, how can we ignore such an untapped market for potential coaches? The reasons for the relative lack of women coaches are many. At the core, it remains result of gender bias and stereotyping that males are more competent and authoritative when it comes to sports than women. Most women at the youth sports level simply "go with the flow," with the result being perpetuation of the sharp division of labor in youth sports along gender lines (men as coaches and women as team parents). And when women are given coaching roles, well of course, they can coach girls since they can relate, it isn't as competitive and a bunch of other BS reasons. Unless of course the position of coaching girls or women is paid, then men will line up to coach since they are better equipped. The trend also continues because let's face it the majority of decision makers remain to this day male. So many male athletic directors, whether they be at the college, high school, or club administrators at the youth sport level, still tend to hire, or in the case of youth sports, appoint, other men as administrators, coaches and assistant coaches, which just maintains the disparity. What to know a little secret? Competent coaches aren't born, they are trained. Boys who become men aren't automatically better coaches than girls / women, on the simply basis of their gender. Coaching ability is learned and given that there are a multitude of coaching styles possible, these are based on character traits, not gender traits and therefore, there is no reason why female coaches can't be groomed and taught to be just as competent if not moreso then male counterparts. The absence of equitable if not equal proportions of male to female coaches in youth sport, are in my opinion, one of the most backward traditions in sports today. When youth sports are lacking sufficient volunteers to take on coaching roles, women, particularly, mothers, are, the greatest untapped resource in youth sports. In fact, there are many reasons why woman, far from being ill-equipped to be good youth sports coaches, actually have natural advantages over men when it comes to coaching at that level and make excellent youth sports coaches. Women are natural teachers, and women generally have a better overall capacity to be organized and prepared to provide a quality experience to all kids involved. Not to mention that as leaders, Women tend to be less authoritarian. Women tend to lead by consensus, a leadership style that even boys prefer, rather than employing a more authoritarian form of leadership. Women tend to connect by empathizing and establishing relationships.A mother's instinct to be a calming influence and peacemaker and to want to emphasize how every player is the same, not different, serve her well as a youth sports coach, where playing favorites or allowing teammates to bully or tease other teammates can create a hostile psychological climate. Women are natural nurturers. Science ( and common sense) has proven that women are generally more adept than men at detecting mood from facial expression, body posture, and gestures, and thus knowing if a child is unhappy. Because they tend to be more emotionally open and have good communication skills, mothers are able to motivate and relate well to players, which is essential if a child is to have an enjoyable sports experience. Women tend to want to find a balance between competition and cooperation. A woman's focus is more on teamwork, arising out of her belief that the best result comes when everyone contributes and the most is gotten from everyone's individual talents. Women tend to reject the common supposition that competition must consist of winning and losing and of displays of power, dominance, and control, for better or worse. Women will coach not for self validation or self-gratification but rather for the overall good of the participants. Some men, as we all can attest to if we are honest, with live their competitive aspirations through their athletes. Women are process- rather than result-oriented. This is what youth sports should be all about: an emphasis on the process (developing skills, both physical and social, and having fun) rather than the result (wins and losses). Mothers are more prone to want to protect children from the pressures of the adult world. As coaches, mothers tend to resist the concept, increasingly prevalent in today's youth sports, that intentionally exposing children to the harsh realities of the adult world (cut-throat competition, sorting out of winners and losers) at ever earlier ages is somehow a good idea. Furthermore, women have been socialized to place a high value on sportsmanship. One of the most important lessons a youth sports coach can teach players is the value and importance of good sportsmanship. Beyond sport, women can be good at teaching boys healthy masculinity. Female coaches can teach male athletes that they don't have to conform to society's male gender stereotype by hiding their emotions, pain and injuries; that it is possible to be emotionally open and still be a man. Some of the issues that we see in sport in terms of aggression, lack or respect among peers or worse still of male athletes ( or men in general) toward female athletes or girls / women in general, does not have as a root cause, men, athletes or sport themselves. The issue is adults who forget what it is like to be a child and impose ‘real man' values into youth sport. When there are female coaches, it challenges the notion of male supremacy and directly challenges the patriarchal notion that maleness is a key prerequisite for coaching and for leadership." In other words, more woman coaching boys could, by changing the way men think about masculinity, help destroy the myth that women are somehow lacking the qualities to be leaders in society. Women coaches are role models for girls and teach them to celebrate being a female athlete. Women coaches break down gender stereotypes by proving that women can be just as competent and tough as men. The presence of woman in large numbers as coaches at the youth sport level would help boys and girls see that "women can coach, thus affecting their vision of how sports systems operate. Let's be very honest, there is, as of yet, no glut of mothers volunteering in youth sports. Mothers either don't volunteer to coach, are told they aren't needed, or are only needed to fill traditional roles, like team administrator. So, bottom line, any mother who wants to coach should be able to coach. It is that simple. It is up to everyone to break the cycle, to tear down the traditional bias and barriers that prevented and still prevent women from joining the coaching ranks in all sports, both genders at all levels. I repeat by assertion, FEMALE COACHES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR YOUTH SPORT
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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