Research literature has explored the challenges associated with being “tokens” and “onlys”, including how this amplifies women’s visibility and with it also the burden of representation they carry. This burden of representation is heightened if they are not stereotypically seen as the “natural” occupants of such leadership roles.
In this 2023 research article, Leanne Norman and Richard Simpson sought to understand how sexism manifests for women in elite sports coaching who report to be the “only” woman in their context. To investigate this, the authors used qualitative research methods and interviewed nine high-performance female head coaches globally.
The findings
A key finding from the research centred on gendered microinvalidation which is subtle communication that dismisses or devalue the individual’s thoughts or feelings. Their research evidences that microinvalidations experienced by their participants were acute when the women were isolated within their roles as the “only” women. This can exacerbate the difficulties “women as only” have in integrating within their working environment.
Often difficult to identify, such microaggressions manifested themselves as:
• Women coaches being perceived as second-class citizens
• Communicated assumptions of traditional gender roles (highlighting them as an “unnatural” occupant of the role
• Assumptions of inferiority
• Increased scrutiny of coaching ability
The power and impact of such microinvalidations were that they (re)asserted male power, and ultimately, they led to the tangible exclusion of women. Women coaches often operate in hostile environments in which many men are unreceptive and suspicious as to their presence. The greater surveillance of an “only” places extra pressure on these individuals to be successful. Onlys are often judged to a higher standard.
The research illustrates how women coaches are constantly involved in an iterative process of choosing which battles to fight. To cope with their everyday microaggressions, the participants discussed the need to prove themselves, internalising a form of coaching “superwoman” schema: self-reliant, and more qualified and knowledgeable than their male counterparts.
Recommendations for organisations
The authors highlight how being the “only” woman restricts the potential and strength of women’s resistance against sexism, because they cannot form collective, organised forces. The power of action can only be generated when there is a coherent and united will of a social group. Consequently, the research points to the importance of addressing all-male collectives in organisations, with a priority to increase representation and move beyond tokenism and ‘onlys’. They suggest that to improve the power balance between men and women, organisations must enable greater access to collective learning and social capital accruement opportunities for women.
You can read the full article here.
