When University of Victoria basketball coach Dani Sinclair went into labour in the middle of a hard-fought playoff run, she struggled with a dilemma no male coach ever faces: should she recover and cocoon with her newborn in those precious first days after birth, or power through exhaustion to attend her teamB次元官网网址檚 crucial game?

In the end, she tried to do both B次元官网网址� after delivering at 4:30 a.m., she badgered her doctor into discharging her from hospital at noon, and was on the bench to root for the Vikes at 6 p.m., with her newborn in the stands with her husband.

B次元官网网址淚 think I freaked some of my girls out,B次元官网网址� she admits of her decision, made back in March 2016.

B次元官网网址�(But) with all three of my kids IB次元官网网址檝e had this hit of adrenaline 24 hours post-labour, post-delivery and so I was fine. Even after not sleeping I felt energized. It was the next night I felt terrible.B次元官网网址�

Still, she showed up for the next game, too, feeling obliged after making such an effort the previous night. Looking back now, Sinclair wonders if subconscious insecurities pushed her above and beyond the call of duty, describing herself at the time as B次元官网网址渁 young coach who still really needed to prove myself.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭here may have been a part of me that was like: B次元官网网址榃ell, IB次元官网网址檝e been able to reach this point, I have this job, I canB次元官网网址檛 give anybody any reason to think that I canB次元官网网址檛 do this,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she admits of a field that has proven tough for women to break into.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 one of the things as female coaches that we battle. We are questioned a little bit more, possibly, than male coaches are, just because thereB次元官网网址檚 fewer of us.B次元官网网址�

The gender disparity in coaching is evident as Canada prepares to send its athletes to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, where just 10 per cent of coaches are female, says Isabelle Cayer, senior coaching consultant at the Coaching Association of Canada.

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ThatB次元官网网址檚 down from 17 per cent at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio and 13 per cent at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

And so the Coaches Association of Ontario has launched a campaign dubbed B次元官网网址淐hanging the Game B次元官网网址� Changing the ConversationB次元官网网址� to drive home the message that women have the skills and the drive to coach and mentor athletes at all levels.

The dearth of female coaches is a national problem, says Allison Sandmeyer-Graves of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity.

She cites federal data from 2015 that found just 25 per cent of Canadian coaches were female. Slightly more enrolled in the Coaching Association of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 certification program, where 30 per cent were women, but that, too, is disconcerting.

B次元官网网址淵ou see women are being trained, but thatB次元官网网址檚 not necessarily translating into active coaches,B次元官网网址� says Sandmeyer-Graves, adding that across 54 national teams, only 16 per cent of head coaches and 19 per cent of assistant coaches were female, according to Sport Canada data in 2016.

The problems are myriad, she says, citing gender stereotypes that donB次元官网网址檛 see women in leadership roles, lopsided domestic obligations that make it hard for mothers to volunteer at evening and weekend games, unconscious biases that donB次元官网网址檛 value female expertise, and few role models.

And it exists from grassroots soccer and baseball games all the way up to the elite level, adds Cayer, worrying that youngsters who encounter exclusively male coaches develop a distorted world view that can shape gender expectations both in and out of the sports world.

B次元官网网址淢y message at the grassroots level is really the importance of seeing men and women on the field coaching (and that) anyone is able to be a coach at that level,B次元官网网址� says Cayer, noting that part of the campaign is directed at encouraging women to volunteer, even if they believe they know nothing about sports.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 only a few things that you need to be able to do and some clubs can do it really well, they can offer some training that is about safety and basic rules around the game and how to set up some practices, your warm up, your cool down, what that looks like and that itB次元官网网址檚 about fun.B次元官网网址�

Sandmeyer-Graves says women are better represented B次元官网网址� although still under-represented B次元官网网址� at the grassroots level, but that drops as you go up the levels of competition.

B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, those are some of the most visible coaching roles, the most influential coaching roles and also the better paid coaching roles.B次元官网网址�

Even seasoned athletes who transition to coaching can be plagued by doubts.

Back when Sinclair was an assistant coach and learned she was pregnant with her first child, she immediately thought: B次元官网网址淢y coaching career is over.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 wholeheartedly believed that,B次元官网网址� says Sinclair. B次元官网网址淎nd it took a lot to change my perspective of that.B次元官网网址�

She found support at the University of Victoria and went on to ascend to the head coach position, crediting a flexible, accommodating work environment B次元官网网址� along with strong family help at home B次元官网网址� with allowing her to have two more kids while leading the womenB次元官网网址檚 basketball team.

B次元官网网址淚f the leadership within organizations arenB次元官网网址檛 willing to look at it from a different perspective, I donB次元官网网址檛 know if change can happen, even if we have all these great initiatives happening,B次元官网网址� she says, noting past awareness campaigns seemed to have had little impact.

B次元官网网址淚 have a really positive example here at UVic B次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檝e had to approach my job description differently than a lot of our other coaches. IB次元官网网址檝e had a lot of flexibility at times to work at home and have my kids in the office with me or in the gym with me, or on the road.B次元官网网址�

If the problem was easy to solve, it would have been done long ago, agrees Sandmeyer-Graves, wondering if itB次元官网网址檚 time for government to play a stronger role.

She sees merit in tying federal and provincial funds to equity measures, a step that could motivate organizations to take intentional action to close the gender gap.

B次元官网网址淏ecause whatB次元官网网址檚 clear is that good intentions and time just arenB次元官网网址檛 enough,B次元官网网址� she says.

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press

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