Status of Gender Equity in Different Areas of Football Coaching in Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22437/ijssc.v8i2.56402Keywords:
Gender equity, Sports coaching, Women sports coaches, Inclusivity, underrepresentationAbstract
Sports coaching is a viable gender neutral career option, however, its implementation takes place in a masculine environment which deters most women from pursuing coaching as a career. This phenomenon creates a gender disparity in sports coaching where male coaches are the majority while female coaches remain the minority. This study sought to investigate the status of gender equity in football coaching in Kenya. A mixed method research design was used and data was gathered from randomly sampled women football coaches in Kenya. Gender inequality was reported by majority of the respondents, with limited opportunities, stereotyping, discriminatory hiring and unequal pay identified as the most common forms. Respondents generally perceived male coaches to receive more favorable treatment across coaching domains. Nearly all respondents supported organizational action and education to promote gender equity in coaching. It is recommended that gender sensitive programs and policies should be created and implemented to improve the gender gap in football coaching. Researchers will build upon this study to improve a growing interest in developing an understanding of gender equity in sports coaching as a body of knowledge.
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