Why football girls are still losing out
Sports psychologist spotlights continuing gender bias
A Perthshire woman has published a research paper analysing gender stereotypes in sport, covering areas such as coaching, media representation and PE education.
Elanor Cormack’s findings are part of her DPsych sport and exercise psychology programme at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Now in the final year of her three-year long professional doctorate, Murthly-based Elanor is on her way to becoming a chartered sports psychologist and runs her own practice, Cormack Psychology.
Football fan Elanor’s interest in the topic started after she joined a local club as a child
However, she was told she could only train with the boys and not play with them in matches.
After collating research and study papers for over six months, Elanor explored how girls are still potentially held back and put off sport, and how the term “stereotype threat” can affect girls from an early age.
“Partly I think the research was from my experience growing up in a maledominated sporting world,” Elanor said.
“But also with being an auntie to several small children, they have the opportunity I and others didn’t have 30 years ago.
“There is more research looking at adults but I wanted to look at it within youth sports.
“I did a systematic review, which is looking at all the available research out there and pulling it in on a specific topic to see what you can learn.
“I looked at the stereotype threat effect, which shows what causes somebody’s performance to drop when they feel they are part of a negative stereotype group.
“So it may be as simple as saying a pass requires masculine qualities, like strength.
“Something as simple as that can lead to a women’s or girl’s performance dropping, and you can see how that spirals into individuals dropping out.
“If somebody underperforms because there is that threat there, you then enjoy it less, you are then less motivated to engage with it, then you will continue to underperform and then you will drop out.
“Coaches and teachers sometimes simply throw out phrases – though most people are not doing it deliberately, they are just not aware.
“It can be something as subtle
People are constantly seeing men doing sport and when women are doing it there is significantly lower coverage, or the other aspects refer to how they look rather than how they perform Elanor Cormack
as a teacher always using a boy to demonstrate a skill.
“Something like that is enough to introduce that stereotype that girls aren’t good enough or that it is not for them.
“The evidence shows children aged six and seven can become aware of those stereotypes and picking up those messages.”
Elanor’s research also found there is still “a huge discrepancy” in gender representation in sports media.
“People are constantly seeing men doing sport and when women are doing it there is significantly lower coverage or the other aspects refer to how they look rather than how they perform,” she added.
“For example, people still see football as a male sport here, but in America that sport is classed as much as a female sport – showing it is culturally motivated.
“Even with parents there is tendency to look at their boys and say they are going to be good at football, but not girls.
“For me a lot of it is helping people understand the impact around what someone might say.
My research is to try to understand what is happening so that people can then make changes to that.”
Hopes remain high that a significant milestone in the history of an east Perthshire sports club can still be marked later this year
Plans to celebrate the 90th anniversary of ladies hockey in Blairgowrie were revealed last year but the organisation of events has been affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Blairgowrie ladies hockey team was founded in 1931 and it is still hoped a series of special events in honour of the landmark anniversary will be held over the last weekend in August this year.
A festival-type event and special dinner were in the process of being formulated, with sporting nostalgia very much the order of the day.
However, the club has stressed any celebrations will be subject to coronavirus-related restrictions nearer the time.
A spokesperson for the team said: “Players past and present will be invited to join a celebratory evening followed by a day of hockey.
“This will include kids’ skills coaching and fun games, as well as contests for the adults and matches using old hockey rules. Finally, the club will host a dinner where those attending can share their hockey experiences with players young and old.
“The plans for the weekend will be announced later this year and the club will be inviting all players past and present, as well as others associated with the club through the years, to come along.”
The club was initially based at Davie Park in Rattray for around 20 years.
In the 1950s, matches and training session were moved to
the Blairgowrie High School playing fields before the club moved its activities to the JJ Coupar Recreation Ground in 1967.
Some training still takes place at the venue off the east Perthshire town’s Coupar Angus Road, although sessions normally take place on the artificial surface at Blairgowrie Community Campus.
Now part of the Midlands hockey league set-up, the club plays competitive matches on the full-size astroturf pitch at North Inch Community Campus in Perth as there is no suitable alternative in Blairgowrie at the moment.
This year’s league matches are currently on the back burner as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The spokesperson continued:“The celebration will bring together players, supporters and relations from the club’s 90-year history.
“These will include men and women from the club’s early years – there was a men’s team until 1971 – as well as the current players, many of whom are still at school.”
More details will be published on the Blairgowrie Hockey Club Facebook page.
Football below the Scottish Championship may be on hold due to the pandemic.
But Step Further Football has been pitching in to help players remain sharp for their eventual return to the game.
Amateur, Junior and East of Scotland League footballers are currently out of action and unable to take part in matches or team training.
Government restrictions still allow for a maximum of two people, aged 12 and over, to meet outdoors for sport and exercise.
And Step Further Football’s tailored one-to-one sessions in Perthshire have been proving popular.
Co-owner Logan McConachie, who set up the venture with friend Aaron Robertson and is a former manager of Coupar Angus JFC, said: “The business was always a pipeline dream of ours – a holistic football services company.
“Lockdown has obviously played a huge factor in footballers not being able to take part. We thought: ‘What could we do at an affordable price?’
“The last month our oneto-one sessions have been sold out. We’re actually recruiting more coaches.
“We’ve had more than 30 players on the waiting list, which is a lot for individual work and one-to-one sessions.”
Step Further Football professionals work together to create a range of football services for the players who need them.
“We’re getting a high calibre of player accessing our services,” Logan added.
Visit www. stepfurtherfootball.com.