Over the past year, I have posted various items on this blog about being a male coach working in female soccer, some of the bias and stereotypes women in coaching face, gender pay disparities related to coaching and other related topics. You can look back at some of these prior posts via the links here. There are others but these might give an insight into my opinions on the topic of gender disparities in sport and coaching. not-a-male-feminist-but.html a-male-coaching-female-soccer-0-less-credible.html the-flawed-logic-of-the-gender-pay-disparity-in-soccer.html coaching-women-vs-coaching-men.html opening-doors-for-women-in-coaching.html more-women-in-coaching-revisited.html why-cant-women-coach-mens-sports.html maybe-not-so-special.html Writing on this blog has become a bit of a hobby, a way to share my thoughts and experiences about soccer and coaching mostly but also a few other related topics. Throughout my life, I have loved reading, it was an escape, it was a way to stimulate the imagination, broaden horizons and pass the time. I also always had a part of me that wondered what it might be like to write, mostly write stories , but write in general. Like many, with technology , social media and the web, I know get to share some of my writing with an audience through a medium that doesn't cost my anything. This website builder allows me to track visits to my site and blog. I seem to get quite a few visits, especially on the days I actually post new items but I can't obviously tell if people read the blogs fully, enjoy them or find them interesting and useful. However, the point is, I enjoy sharing my thoughts and writing on the blog the rest is out of my control. I bring this up because I have on occasion been asked questions like, what make me think people want to know my opinions on certain topics, or why do I think that I am in a position to share about certain topics. Simple answer, I write about what I know ( or think I know ) and about how I feel concerning situations or issues I deem important ( and mostly important to me). When I thinking about different topics to post about, obviously anything related to coaching, to soccer and to my involvement coaching student-athletes at Concordia are easy options. The fact that my 27 years in coaching has exclusively in women's soccer, I feel it gives me a unique perspective on some of the gender related issues and bias faced by women in sport. Does it make me an expert ? Far from it, but it also doesn't make my opinions any less credible. That brings me to the title for today's blog post ' Maybe we can relate and understand but we can never really know" . Simply put, as a male, I can never we really know what females in the coaching ranks or in sport generally have faced in terms of bias, stereotype or discrimination. I have seen it first hand and up close, I have fought against it, but I can't ever say I have personally experienced it. And like many things, if you haven't experienced it, can you really know what feels like? The answer is NO ! I can't and I can't or should never give an opinion that seems to reflect the notion that I can really understand its effects. That is why I shared the links to prior posts above so that maybe, people that read today can look back at what I have written in the past and tell me if I do come across like that but also maybe compare it to this post. Gender bias and inequalities still occur today in many parts of society, I can't comment of many of those parts but I do have a unique perspective to comment on how they happen in sport, as much via my path in coaching than having seen my wife experience them as both a high level player and elite level coach. The reality remains that even today, there exists an atmosphere that diminishes women athletes’ and coaches' accomplishments, defines them by the men around them, places them in tired stereotypes of sex objects, or infantilizes them as “girls.” Some journalists, in combination with a robust social media discussion, are calling this bad behavior out. But should we be so surprised? Women's sports are still seen for the most part as some sort of lesser quality or water downed version of the male equivalents. Female coaches, remain in a significantly minority, even in roles with female teams. In general, the qualities of sport – competition, confidence, physical strength, aggression – are seen as masculine, while characteristics of cooperation, passivity, and dependency are coded feminine, raising suspicions about women’s capacity to excel. Masculine dominance has helped to define the parameters of what it means to be a coach. Many men involved in coach, whether at the youth, school, competitive levels will often cite that notion that without a spouse’s support, a coaching career would be difficult. However, often times, one predominant reasoning as to why women opt out of coaching is due to family pressures, starting families etc yet how often do we talk about men needed to opt out to support their families. Arguably, the relationship between masculinity and athletics provides men with the social compensation necessary to remain in coaching in a way that does not operate for women. When we move onto the discussion about why we find very few and pretty much no women coaching men's sports, many will say women wouldn't have the strength, athleticism, authority, and leadership abilities to be effective men’s coaches. We often hear the argument that men's sports are a unique environment, one that women just can't understand. The understanding of the nuances of the men’s game versus the women’s game… for a female to go into a men’s athletic team and command respect from those guys, it’s difficult. That since a women has never played at that level, somehow she wouldn't be able to relate to the requirements. However, putting a male in charge of a women's team doesn't seem to come with some of the same gender related concerns. Let's look at two recent developments in soccer coaching. In Canada, John Herdman, who has been with the women's national team since 2011, was moved into the role of head coach with the men's side. Reactions to the news were quick and mostly negative, how could someone with no coaching experience at the high level be considered a candidate to coach the men's team. No experience ? Taking the women's team from 12th to 4th in the world, back to back Olympic bronze medals, making New Zealand, a small country among the top 15 women's teams in the world? Well how successful were all the males who had coached Canada prior been ? The bias against him is not because of his gender, but because of being involved in female soccer. So if people question his credentials, imagine what they would say about a female who would go through the same situation. Roughly at the same time, Phil Neville, an accomplished former professional and international with Manchester, Everton and England but with limited coaching and zero head coaching experience was named to the top position of England's women's team. Advocates of the women's soccer were shocked by the surprise announcement however, in general, no one questioned how someone with no head coaching experience could be given the reigns to one of the top national teams in the country. As if somehow, being a male and former professional was sufficient experience to coach women at this level. So how come, none of the stereotypical explanations as to why women's can't coach me, don't apply here? I am not saying he won't make a good coach, I am just surprised why his complete lack of involvement in the women's game is not an issue Many comments ( usually made by males) continue to highlight the assumed biological connection between men and leadership. There is still those that will claim that the leadership traits are much more apparent in males. Additionally challenging is the perception that taking orders and guidance from a female threatens masculinity and calls into question male superiority in a male dominated field. Stereotypes about men’s competitiveness and women’s need for emotional bonding remain prevalent, and if these are carried into hiring decisions it is easy to see why male coaches are favored. Yet, if gender differences are so true, we would expect to see same-sex coaching across the board, instead of the current disparity. Instead, there difference only legitimated women’s absence and was not used to question men’s presence as coaches of women’s teams. We will often hear about " hiring the best possible coach " for teams but if we limit candidates strictly on gender as a starting point, are we really looking for the best. In my years of coaching, exchanging with female peers, I haven't had many say they would absolutely want to men’s teams and nor were they upset at being denied access to these positions. However, more often that not, it was more an issue of having access to lucrative positions coaching women. IF we observe with an unbiased eye, we can easily see the amount resources and opportunities played in incentivizing men into coaching positions. It's why even paid coaching positions for females teams are deemed lucrative for males although it might not be their position of choice. We often hear the expression "glass ceiling" in reference to barriers in the work place based on gender, but maybe when it comes to coaching we have a type of “glass wall” where a reality exists 50 percent of jobs (those coaching men) are off-limits, thus if women coach approximately 50 percent of women’s teams, it’s “fair.” We see that unquestioned assumptions of gender difference supported perceptions that masculinity and men were superior to femininity and women. These stereotypes that go back years reflecting societal perceptions that somehow male athletic superiority justify gender disparities in coaching. Through the countless hours spent on soccer fields watching games, scouting players over the years, I have seen ( and continue to see) refs go to a male assistant coach before the game assuming he’s the head coach. Referees will still officiate females different than males. Certain challenges in a women's game will be whistled as a foul while we simply be seen as a competitive tackle in a men's game. I have personally witness officials ( mostly make I will say) treat female players and coaches who talk back, question calls or make comments must differently than when dealing with males players, like its not ok for a female to question his abilities. Female sports in general are growing, but not for everyone, and that’s a problem. The ugly truth of is that bias, cultural expectation, and lack of opportunity keep it out of the hands of women who want to help them flourish. It wasn’t always this hard for women to break into coaching. When women's sports were seen as recreational and paid coaching positions ( even for part time , competitive roles ) were rare, makes didn't really look to those positions as interesting. In the US, if we look at the NCAA, one of the factors that most impacted the number of female coaches was Title IX, the education amendment that decreed that federally funded institutions cannot discriminate on the basis of sex. Athletic programs had to provide equitable opportunities for athletic participation to their male and female students, including funding coaching staffs equally. The infusion of money into women’s sports caused a boom. As women’s programs began to grow in support and prestige after Title IX, men found coaching jobs more and more attractive. On a smaller scale, when I started coaching women's soccer, back when clubs didn't provide any compensation for coaching even the so called competitive levels, anyone wanting to coach female teams often had the choice of teams while the male teams had many candidates showing interest. As invest increased, many saw coaching a female team as a potential stepping stone and viable option towards coaching " real soccer" later on. Many women are simply made to feel like outsiders in their sport by the men in charge. My wife was the first female head coach in a local club. It was mostly comprised of boys teams but had 3 girls team where the other two were coached by males ( someone's dad as was often the case in the 90s. She was exposed to comments and treatment based on both being a female and being in charge of a female team. Add to the mix being somewhat younger than her male counterparts and those in the executive positions at the club, she was forced into a sort of " go along to get along" situation if she wanted to stay in the role. For years, those responsible for hiring head coaches overwhelmingly tended to be men, and men tend to hire other men. Fast forward 20 years and look at the current landscape, have things changed ? I would argue yes, a bit, but not as much as the rest of society has seemed to change. Men have better, more established networks in other male coaches, giving them the edge in mentoring and job placement. Without an obvious route in, aspiring female coaches have difficulty picturing themselves being able to break into the boys’ club, even when they’re as qualified as male applicants. I hate the idea of being someone who perpetuates stereotypes, but from experience, women are more confident on the surface, but when you scratch sort of a little bit below, there’s a lot of self-doubt. I don't think its inherent in being a female but rather the bias they have been exposed to by their involvement in sport, by getting smaller pieces of the pie and seeing barriers put up as they wanted to progress. Men don’t have that doubt. They’re missing certain coaching qualifications to work at a certain level or age group, they still think they’re the best applicant for the job on the female side of things. I personally have encountered male coaches who have never coached one day in women’s soccer and they feel like they can coach women easily. Then, once women get their foot in the door, break through the barriers and get a chance in coaching, advancement can be just as difficult, at any level, as entry. What tends to happen especially with in youth clubs, club decision makers "decide" to let a woman coach a team and maybe the results aren’t there right away, and so they get impatient and pull them off, or a woman starts to have a little bit of success with a team and pushes them up into a little bit of a higher level, and now the men in the club come in and take the team, because there’s a little bit more prestige in that team. This tends to happen in soccer from experience but I imagine it might be true in other sports, more often that not around the U15 and U16 age groups, maybe as players are getting scouted for elite level teams or university. Coaches in these age groups want to both impress scouts and make their own connections for future jobs. The most important step is to remove the initial barriers that prevent interested women from getting into coaching. Current conditions don't make the prospect of getting into coaching interesting, that is the start, getting former players involved. Then once in coaching, providing them with equitable opportunities for development as coaches. What many female coaches really need is for people in hiring positions to expand their job searches beyond the usual pool of male candidates. Most clubs are recreational and non-profit organizations with registered members ( I would assume a certain of them female) so why isn't representation equitable? The visibility and presence of women can help influence attitudes toward their place in sports and how their work intersects with their personal lives. Changes can be built from both the bottom up and the top down to help make a real, pervasive, and lasting difference. But people in positions of power have to want it, too. Women are already trying to get over, around, and through the barriers in their way. Clubs, schools, and federations should be doing their best to tear down the walls. They are, after all, the ones who put them there in the first place. In my own little part, for the last 6 or 7 years, always tried to identify players in my program who show and interest in coaching and give them the chance to be part of the coaching staff after they graduate. I do my best to expose them to the environment and support them in developing as coaches. As the title of this post say, I can relate and understand some of the bias females face but I can never really know what they face or have faced. But I can and I will, do my part to try and improve things, even if only a little bit.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
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
January 2023
Categories
All
|