Sports academic calls for more gender diversity in tennis

More needs to be done to address a lack of gender diversity in tennis, says a University of Auckland academic.

Associate professor of sport sociology Toni Bruce recently returned from the annual United Nations commission on the status of women in New York.

She said there needed to be more females in leadership roles in tennis despite equality in pay and media exposure.

“In New Zealand we’re striving to reach 20 per cent of women on [sports] boards. All the research that’s looked into management suggests that the more diverse board you have, the better decisions you’re going to make and the better you’ll be able to serve constituents.”

Tennis New Zealand has two women on its board of eight.

Former University of Auckland Tennis Club coach, Lauren Tyler-Harwood, said there is a definite lack of female coaches.

“When I look back on coaches I’ve been coached by they’ve all been males, and most of the top coaches are male, so I guess there’s a bit of an ingrained pattern that men tend to dominate the field,” said Ms Tyler-Harwood.

Dr Bruce agrees. She said the media coverage surrounding Andy Murray getting a female coach last year shows that women in leadership roles are still not completely normalised.

Tennis Coaches New Zealand Chairperson, Julia Scott, said it’s difficult for women because they need the support of their partners and families in order to do well.

Tennis coaching mainly takes place during family time which has traditionally prevented women with families from being able to coach.

“I’m a product of the historical system that we’ve had in place, and I’m only here because I married the man I did,” Ms Scott said.

“But I’m also aware that with the changes that’ve been put in place, there is way more women coaching than there has ever been, and I think that will continue to grow,” she said.

Ms Scott said that coaching tennis is one of the few vocations that realistically exists for women in sport and with the introduction of in-school coaching there are more opportunities than ever.

She wanted to assure women a good, well paid career exists in tennis in New Zealand.

“I can’t get my hands on enough coaches.”