Women in Sports Coaching

Nicole M. LaVoi is a Senior Lecturer in Kinesiology and Co-Director of the Tucker Center for Girls & Women at the University of Minnesota, USA, and former collegiate tennis coach and USPTA tennis teaching professional. Her research pertains to gender and coaching, and media portrayals of women in sport. She is the primary author of the longitudinal Women in College Coaching and Report Card research series.

"In the first book dedicated to a comprehensive examination of this topic, editor LaVoi (kinesiology, Univ. of Minnesota) investigates the opportunities, barriers, and experiences of women in the coaching profession and examines why sports coaching is still not gender equal. The work is thematically organized, beginning with the guiding theoretical model, followed by a focus on specific identities of women coaches (e.g., lesbians, mothers, women of color), issues surrounding the research of this particular topic, and finally, practical approaches for social change. Each chapter begins with an effective review of existing research concerning the chapter topic, applies the aforementioned model to the original work, and concludes with suggestions for future directions in research. Overall, the work is extensively researched and maintains a consistent narrative thread. A highlight is the wide-ranging interviews with women coaches, which offer a global perspective. Another strong contribution is the focus on the complex “intersectionality” of identities, power, and multiple variables besides gender that can contribute to the underrepresentation of women in coaching. This title is strongly recommended for any individual interested in sport or gender studies.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers."A. Curtis, Lake Erie College, CHOICE (January 2017)"LaVoi’s book is a strong contribution to the literature and demonstrates why women coaches matter and why it is important to have women in leadership positions in sport."Anne Tjønndal, Faculty of Social Science, Nord University, idrottsforum.org

• Introduction Part 1: Underlying Theoretical Framework 1. A Framework to Understand Experiences of Women Coaches Around the Globe: The Ecological-Intersectional Model 2. A Socio-cultural Examination of a Lack of Women Coaches in Sport Leadership Positions 3. An Ecological/Multisystem Approach to Understanding and Examining Women Coaches Part 2: Women Coaches and Other Intersectional Identities 4. Lesbian Coaches and Homophobia 5. Women Coaches of Color: Examining the Effects of Intersectionality 6. Coaching and Motherhood 7. Cross-Gender Coaching: Women Coaching Men 8. Female Athletes Conceptions of Leadership: Coaching and Gender Implications 9. Female Assistant Coaches: Planting Seeds and Growing Roots Part 3: Seeing, Listening to and Researching Women Coaches 10. Women in the Sport Media: Where are the Coaches? 11. Hear Their Voices: Suggestions for Developing and Supporting Women Coaches from Around the World 12. Women in Coaching: Theoretical Underpinnings among Quantitative Analyses 13. Women in Coaching: Theoretical Underpinnings among Qualitative Research Part 4: Strategies for Change Concluding Thoughts: Creating Change for Women Coaches