Taking the lead: women in coaching in New Zealand

Abstract

This research focuses on how women are represented as coaches in New Zealand sport. It addresses the perceived barriers that women face in entering into or progressing with coaching and identifies strategies for change. Much has been achieved in increasing the number of women participating in sport and recreational activities, but the opportunities for women to take advantage of all that sport has to offer are still limited by various factors. There remains an under-representation of women at all levels of sport in New Zealand. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to identify the current representation of women as coaches and the perceived barriers they might face when taking up or continuing with the coaching role. A census form was sent to all 101 national sports organisations in order to gather baseline quantitative data. A qualitative questionnaire was sent to a sample population of women who coach at a high-performance level. The census confirmed that women are under-represented as coaches, particularly at the higher levels of sport and in sports traditionally viewed as 'male'. The qualitative research identified a number of perceived barriers that act as deterrents to women in coaching and made suggestions for change. An advisory group consisting of eleven leading sports people discussed issues arising from the research and was used as a forum in which strategies for change were shaped.