“It’s Not Particularly P.C., You Know . . .”: Women Coaches’ Performing Gender in Strength and Conditioning

Abstract

Strength and conditioning (S&C) has become a chief part of athletes’ physiological preparation. Despite S&C’s growing presence across sports, women coaches have been generally marginalized and underrepresented. This study explores female S&C coaches’ experiences and coping mechanisms in a male-dominated industry. Semi-structured interviews with 15 female S&C coaches were conducted. The main themes identified from interview data are organizational politics, impression management, and humor. The findings suggest that women S&C coaches are often in subservient positions and have to adopt some traditional, male-generated subcultural practices to fit in. They carefully manage their coaching front stage to generate an impression that is expected and accepted in the given milieu. In their efforts to fit in, women often find themselves in a multiplicity of power matrices that involve a continuous negotiation of gender identity, internal politics, and sexist banter.

Experiences and Perceptions of Women Strength and Conditioning Coaches: A Scoping Review

“…Across the four databases 300 results were returned, of which 138 were duplicate records. Additionally to the database search, two records (Medlin-Silver et al, 2017;Thomas et al, 2021). When the literature search was conducted, Thomas et al (2021) was only published in an online first format and was not picked up by the database search but was known to the authors.…”

“…Additionally to the database search, two records (Medlin-Silver et al, 2017;Thomas et al, 2021). When the literature search was conducted, Thomas et al (2021) was only published in an online first format and was not picked up by the database search but was known to the authors. The literature search also involved an examination of relevant grey literature that was included in the reference list material within the identified studies (Tjønndall & Wågan 2021).…”

“…The focus of the interviews was to help explain and understand the preferences and attitudes toward the gender of their SCC Five studies focused on the experiences of women working as SCCs. Three studies employed a qualitative approach; two used semi-structured interviews (Medlin-Silver et al, 2017;Thomas et al, 2021) while one implemented a qualitative e-mail-based survey design (Laskowski & Ebben, 2016). The remaining two studies adopted a mixed methods approach using a combination of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews Sartore-Baldwin, 2013).…”

“…On the other hand, able bodied, white men often serve as 'power holders' (Fasting et al, 2019, p. 456). Gender-informed organizational practices have been identified as a barrier to women entering S&C as well as gaining career advancement (Thomas et al, 2021). Due to S&C being a male dominated profession, it has a gendered organizational culture that emphasizes values, ideas and practices associated with the dominant form of masculinity and related identity.…”

“…(McLaren, 2021, p. 24) Gender stereotypes, such as the one noted above, are constantly reproduced in everyday language and can be communicated in indirect ways, which, in turn, influence the behaviour and role expectations of people (Schlesinger et al 2021). As a result of this gender association with the job role, the SCCs interviewed in Thomas et al (2021) felt they had to behave in a masculine manner to garner respect and fit-into the organisational culture. An individual who is viewed as physically fit in S&C therefore displays these behaviours and shares the cultural norms (Norman, 2020).…”