Reflections on Career Development: A Phenomenological Study of Women Who Coach Canadian High Performance Male Track and Field Athletes
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Abstract
Canadian female coaches are typically young, single and without a family, leave within the first five years of coaching, often hold part-time positions and are unlikely to coach male athletes (Kerr, 2010; Reade, Rogers & Norman, 2009). Further it has been suggested that the Canadian sport system does not adequately support women’s entry into the coaching profession (Kerr & Ali, 2012; Kidd, 2013). Several studies have explored the challenges female coaches face in establishing a career and working in sport (Kamphoff, 2010; Kerr and Marshall, 2007; Kilty, 2006; Norman, 2010a, 2010b; Staurowsky, 1990; Theberge, 1993; West, Green, Brackenridge & Woodward, 2001). However, few studies explore female coaches’ positive coaching experiences, focus on women coaching high performance male athletes or explore a range of coaching roles to gain a better understanding of sport culture or career progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate and examine the lived experiences of women who coached high performance male track and field athletes as a means to obtain a greater understanding of their careers as coaches and provide insight that could help other women succeed in coaching. A phenomenological approach was used to provide a more complete picture of the factors contributing to the under-representation of women in coaching (Creswell, 2007, 2009; Marshall & Rossman, 2011; Moustakas, 1994; Patton, 2002). Semi-structured interviews modeled after Norman’s (2010b) interview guide topics were conducted with six women who coached at the university and/or national levels in Canada. A manual content analysis (Berg, 2009) was performed examining each case individually (within case analysis) followed by a cross-case analysis (Creswell, 2007). Findings revealed three core themes: 1) the impact of gender ideology, 2) the role of the Canadian sport system and 3) personal strategies used to stay in the system. The implications for these findings are discussed in the context of dominant gender ideology inherent in Canadian sport culture and mainstream society, ideas for restructuring coach recruitment, development and support for coaches, recommendations for policy development, advice to females considering coaching career paths and directions for future research.