Female Coaches’ Experience of Harassment and Bullying

The Journal takes pride in breaking new ground when it comes to discussions of the professional and social environments of women coaches. Over the years we have covered women’s leadership, coach education, coach employment, family issues, coaching and motherhood, communication, coach development, mentoring, system change, support systems, decision training, transition from athlete to coach, homophobia, contracts and contract negotiations, unethical behaviour, women’s value within the profession, political advocacy, under-representation of women, and the working lives of women coaches.

We have told many personal stories, made numerous recommendations, provided challenging analyses, described innovative programs, compared the status of women coaches to other sectors in our society, profiled role models, reported on first-person coaching experiences, focused on sport’s potential as an instrument of positive change, and stressed the importance of a career plan and solid business practices, always striving to paint a vivid picture of the reality of women who are driven by a powerful desire to coach.

But we have not examined the touchy subject of harassment and bullying, one of the sordid underbellies of the sport culture. Until now, that is. As author Gretchen Kerr points out, although much has been recorded about female athletes’ experiences of harassment and bullying, a study she is carrying out at the University of Toronto is the first to explore female coaches’ experiences of the dual transgressions. Writing for the Journal about her findings, Gretchen notes that difficulties in attracting and retaining female coaches have been attributed to such factors as domestic responsibilities, the lack of recruitment and mentoring programs, and an absence of role models. Could harassment and bullying also be contributing causes? It appears so.

Gretchen builds a strong case for dealing openly with this contentious but muzzled issue, not least because, as the study’s participants reveal with candour, generally they have perceived their choices to be speaking out and risking the loss of their hard-fought-for positions or staying silent. Not very palatable options.

Gretchen acknowledges that her sample was small. Nevertheless, the participants’ responses are a powerful indictment of a persistent and ugly culture. She prescribes further research in order to “better understand and enhance women’s experiences in the coaching profession.” Let us hope that publishing this article will encourage decision makers at all levels to, at least, support further investigation and, even better, initiate strong actions to end the harassment and bullying of women coaches. — Sheila Robertson

The views expressed in the articles of the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching are those of the authors and do not reflect the policies of the Coaching Association of Canada.