The European Commission has published a report to evaluate existing (formal and non-formal) training and education schemes for coaches in view of their gender equality elements
When discussing gender equality in sport, coaching is always one of the key issues, as statistics show an underrepresentation of women coaches in many disciplines, especially at the highest levels.
The European Commission commissioned this particular study to evaluate existing (formal and non-formal) training and education schemes for coaches in view of their gender equality elements, to evaluate their modules on gender equality and to identify good practices with regards to accessibility for women. This mapping followed specific Expert Group on Good Governance recommendations on Gender Equality in Sport and was very timely in the context of the Estonian Presidency's focus on the role of coaches in society.
The study looked at:
- Accessibility for women (i.e. flexible timetabling, childcare support)
- Specific modules on gender equality
- Progression i.e. towards high performance coaching
- Mentoring schemes
- Role models i.e experienced women coaches
- Marketing (use of gender equality imagery in advertising etc.)
- Scholarships
In particular, it identified:
- 36 coaching education programmes with a gender dimension across 13 countries
- Women-only programmes as the most common approach
- Limited examples of accessible education activities for women (e.g. more flexible timetabling / childcare)
- Limited examples of programmes with modules on gender equality
Visit the European Commission website to continue reading the full article.
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