Lack of exposure to women affecting children's attitudes, gender bias
Women remain underrepresented as coaches and officials across community sport, impacting gender bias and attitudes among children, according to a new report.
The survey from Victoria University discovered that children in Australia have less opportunity to see and experience women in leadership roles, leading to bias in favour of men.
"The study confirms that there is a bias among children towards linking men as being coaches and officials, rather than women," said Kara Dadswell, who led the survey, in a statement.
According to the report, only 65% of 75 children had exposure to women as coaches, while 96% had exposure to men as coaches.
But children who had exposure to predominantly women officials showed higher satisfaction with women in these roles, according to the report.
It also found that previous experiences with having a woman coach positively influenced children's belief that women can be great coaches.
"Understanding that unconscious bias is being engrained from a young age, and heavily shaped by parents, emphasises the importance of action to ensure women are involved in coaching and officiating at all levels," said Sarah Styles, Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, in a statement.
Addressing women underrepresentation
Dadswell said engrained gender roles can still be shifted for children by providing them the opportunity to experience women as coaches and officials at an early age.
To achieve this, the report suggested the following recommendations to boost women's representation in coaching and official in sport:
- Create targeted plans to attract, develop, and retain women as coaches and officials
- Enlist the assistance of parents to voice their positive support for women in these roles
- Support the representation of women from diverse backgrounds as coaches and officials
"Giving children the opportunity to experience women as coaches and officials in community sport brings enormous benefits," Community Sport Minister Ros Spence said in a statement.
"This research demonstrates how the representation of women in coaching roles within community sport can increase satisfaction and actively reshape the attitudes of both parents and young boys and girls."
