Gender role expectations and the prevalence of women as assistant coaches

Gendered Leadership Expectations in Sport: Constructing Differences in Coaches

“…The social institution of sport features a long and gendered history where traditional notions of masculinity (e.g., physicality, power, dominance) are valued and reproduced (Anderson, 2009), and where dominant masculine ideals and characteristics associated with leadership are perhaps more deeply embedded and persistent than any other arena (Hovden, 2000(Hovden, , 2010. The masculine context of sport teamed with dominant masculine leadership ideologies often results in gendered logic and beliefs that men are naturally better sport leaders and coaches, and recent research found the position of head coach and associated roles more closely match stereotypical masculine traits and characteristics compared to characteristics associated with ideal assistant coaches (Madsen, Burton & Clark, 2017). It is widely reported that women continue to be marginalized and underrepresented in sport leadership positions, including coaching and administration (e.g., Acosta & Carpenter, 2016;LaVoi, 2013), due in large part to the dominant masculine culture of sport (Walker & Satore-Baldwin, 2013).…”

“…For example, female college athletes have expressed preferences for male coaches based on the gendered logic that men possess greater sport knowledge, enforce discipline, and garner respect through authoritarian leadership practices (Drago, Hennighausen, Rogers, Vescio, & Stauffer, 2005;Frey, Czech, Kent, & Johnson, 2006;Madsen, 2016;Schull, 2016). Male coaches are also often perceived to display greater professionalism because they are more likely to keep their personal lives private (Drago et al, 2005), and college athletes valued masculine agentic traits more in head coaches than in assistant coaches (Madsen et al, 2017). While sport leadership traits and characteristics associated with coaching align well with certain forms of masculinities (e.g., authority, assertiveness, heroic individualism), leadership traits and characteristics that are socially ascribed as "feminine" such as nurturing, relational, and emotional (Eagly, 2007;Fletcher, 2004) are less valued in sport leadership (Hovden, 2010) and coaching (Madsen et al, 2017;Schull, 2016).…”

“…Male coaches are also often perceived to display greater professionalism because they are more likely to keep their personal lives private (Drago et al, 2005), and college athletes valued masculine agentic traits more in head coaches than in assistant coaches (Madsen et al, 2017). While sport leadership traits and characteristics associated with coaching align well with certain forms of masculinities (e.g., authority, assertiveness, heroic individualism), leadership traits and characteristics that are socially ascribed as "feminine" such as nurturing, relational, and emotional (Eagly, 2007;Fletcher, 2004) are less valued in sport leadership (Hovden, 2010) and coaching (Madsen et al, 2017;Schull, 2016). Female coaches are often expected to provide emotional labor, support, and to develop relationships with their athletes, and yet when they fulfill these expectations, they subsequently may be disrespected as disciplinarians or denigrated for being 'too emotional' (Drago et al, 2005;Frey et al, 2006;Schull, 2016).…”

Defining the Role of the Director of Basketball Operations. An Investigation of Role Ambiguity within Intercollegiate Athletic Departments

“…Today, the DOBO is a common position among NCAA Division I basketball staffs, yet, little research exists related to the position and those who occupy it. There is an existing body of research surrounding college basketball coaching, such as male and female earnings gaps (Humphreys, 2000); human capital differences between male and female Division I coaches (Cunningham & Sagas, 2002); head/assistant coach mentoring relationship (Bower, 2011); predictors of student-athletes entering the coaching profession (Cunningham & Singer, 2010; Moran-Miller & Flores, 2011); and gender-typing of head and assistant coaches (Madsen, Burton, & Clark, 2017). However, given that the DOBO position does not typically involve coaching duties, the aforementioned coaching research does not provide a sufficient understanding of the complexities of the DOBO.…”

Opportunities and barriers that females face for study and employment in sport

“…1.1 Gender stereotyping/gender discrimination and having to 'work harder' to achieve respect Several researchers have reported issues around gender discrimination and stereotyping in sport-related employment, in that both men and women have been found to hold adverse, stereotypical attitudes towards women's career progression and job competency (Burton et al, 2011a(Burton et al, , 2011bKoca, Arslan, & Aşçı, 2011;Koca & Öztürk, 2015;Madsen, Burton, & Clark, 2017). Females have also reported feeling judged on their professional capability and competence in taking leadership positions (Burton, Borland, & Mazerolle, 2012;Kilty, 2006;Mazerolle et al, 2015).…”