Investigating Qualification and Professional Career Pathways of Women Coaches in High-Performance Sports: A Mixed Method Study Protocol

High-performance coaching is a deeply gendered field of work. Despite international and national efforts, women are still systematically underrepresented in coach education and in leadership positions. For example, at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, only 13% of the accredited coaches were women. While there is substantial international research on gender inequality in high-performance coaching, in-depth knowledge on the current qualification and work situation of women high-performance coaches is limited. To address this gap, the Women in Sports Coaching: Investigating qualification and professional pathways in German elite sport (QualiFT) study was designed, which we report and reflect on in this protocol. The overarching aim of this mixed-method study is to investigate gender-specific barriers and support factors for women coaches’ career pathways in high-performance sport as well as to develop needs-based solutions in collaboration with key stakeholders. Employing a participatory mixed-methods design across three sub-studies, the project combines a blend of data collection and analysis methods, such as an online survey, biographical mapping interviews, focus group discussions, expert interviews, and document analysis. Statistical evaluation of license and survey data as well as qualitative insights from practitioners, experts and document analysis enable a multifaceted understanding of structural and individual barriers and support factors for gender equity in coaching. In so doing, the study provides a foundation for developing research-based measures to promote gender equity in high-performance sports coaching.