The Role of Gender and Cultural Norms in Coaches’ Communication with Women Athletes Regarding Menstruation in Thailand

This study examines coaches’ communicative behaviors regarding menstruation in Thailand, focusing on gender differences. Expanding prior research, it explores how Thailand’s cultural acceptance of gender diversity shapes coach–athlete interactions. An online survey of 164 coaches at national and university levels assessed the demographic of coaches, communication frequency, attitudes, behaviors, and athlete willingness to communicate. The findings reveal that gender differences in communicative behaviors were less pronounced than in previous studies. Notably, actual communicative behaviors did not significantly differ between male and female coaches, although female coaches perceived themselves as communicating more frequently and felt greater comfort discussing menstrual health. While some predictors of communicative behavior were common across genders, others differed. These results suggest Thailand’s relatively inclusive cultural norms may reduce gendered communication barriers in sport. This study contributes to the growing literature on coach–athlete communication by situating menstrual health as a culturally and gendered communication within sport.