Seen This? wrote:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2342711/why-we-need-more-female-coaches?utm_content=buffer11137&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=tweetI see a number of false presumptions/assumptions in this article.
1) There is a lack of access for females to coaching positions
2) "No shortage of people [females] with interest and expertise..."
3) Women have less networking opportunities
As someone who has gone through the hiring process with the express intention of hiring a female coach, I can tell you that there is a severe shortage of applicants (especially compared to the number of male applicants--like 10:1). And there are literally no barriers for women to know about open positions or to network versus males of similar age, experience, and expertise.
The end of the article talks about the coach at Cal and Flanagan, who both landed major jobs as their first jobs in the industry with no prior coaching experience. Find me a male who can land a Division 1 full-time job or a job with Nike (!) with no prior experience in coaching.
Hey look first I want to make it clear that i am all for more women in the coaching profession. But at what sacrifice?? Experience? I do feel like women don’t get the fair shake with the upper level coaching positions but I do feel some of their first positions are obtained over more qualified male applicants. This is due to the obvious over abundance of males wanting to coach, so at the end of the day it’s a catch 22. If I were a women i would get proper experience and bust my ass volunteering, working camps, basically all the things that males who feel are more qualified than you are doing, that way you level the playing field. This will allow more women to get upper level positions and thus foster more women into the sport. There never will be as many women becuase like the article states the lifestyle isn’t tailored for a women who wants to have kids and coach. There’s been women who quit once they started having a family and that isn’t fair but it’s the way it is. Schools should step up and creating funding for women to have a caregiver or something to help with travel, etc