The impact of organisational factors on career pathways for female coaches

Abstract

Government and sport organisations have spent considerable resources on increasing the number of female coaches in sport, yet women are still significantly under-represented in this sector. Research directed towards understanding why females remain involved in coaching in the Australian sport system has tended to focus on individual barriers and motivations, with generally less attention given to the organisational setting in which coaches work. To examine why there continues to be low numbers of female coaches in elite sport, Kanter's (Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic) organisational theory of homologous reproduction was used to guide a case study of a state sport organisation (SSO). Results indicated that organisational strategies, prevailing hegemonic masculinity, and systemic barriers in the SSO were sustaining male coaching dominance in the organisation whilst marginalizing women.