Sally Shaw

Snowboarding mums carve out fresh tracks: Resisting traditional motherhood discourse?

Abstract The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of mothers who snowboard. Snowboarding was selected because the discourses surrounding the sport typically embody freedom, hedonism, and irresponsibility (Humphreys, 1996). These characteristics are at odds with traditional notions of motherhood (Miller & Brown, 2005). A feminist post‐structural approach was adopted, utilising Foucaults concepts of power, knowledge, truth, and resistance to investigate how the mothers shaped their identities and social relations. Five snowboarders were interviewed. It is argued that these snowboarding mothers resisted the social expectations created by the ‘ideology of motherhood’ by redefining what it means to be a ‘good mother’ and by creating practices to achieve their own happiness. Support from partners and other family members was integral to this.

Gender suppression in New Zealand regional sports trusts

Purpose – Gender relations in organisations remain contested and unresolved. While researchers increasingly focus on how gender is articulated, there is also a need to examine gender suppression, or how gender is deliberately not expressed in organisations. The purpose of this research is to examine gender suppression within regional sports trusts (RSTs) in New Zealand (NZ).Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were sent to all 17 chief executive officers of RSTs in NZ, of which ten replied. Of these, six agreed to a phone interview. The data were transcribed and coded.Findings – There was evidence of gender suppression within the RSTs articulated through four organisational practices, which were: employing the “best person for the job”; the importance of gender balance; gender equity policies; and the role of external funders influencing gender relations.Research limitations/implications – The examination of gender suppression provides one area of analysis within the multiple elements of gender relations...

“If A Woman Came In … She Would Have Been Eaten Up Alive”: Analyzing Gendered Political Processes in the Search for an Athletic Director

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand and critique the gendered political processes in the search for an athletic director following a merger between men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic departments in a U.S. university. Semi-structured interviews were used to ask 55 athletic department stakeholders their perceptions of the search process and associated politics. Findings indicated gendered political activities occurred along gender-affiliated departmental lines. Political strategies contributed to gendered processes favoring certain masculinities and male candidates in the search for an athletic director. While gender equity was an important consideration in the search process, because of the controversial nature of the merger and the politics expressed, the belief that hiring a man was essential to the merger’s success was widely accepted by many stakeholder groups. The findings are positioned in the critical management and sport literature. This research contributes to our understanding of the complexity of gender relations and provides insight into the gendered political processes that inform leadership searches.

Touching the intangible? An analysis of The Equality Standard: A Framework for Sport

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate equality policy development through an examination of The Equality Standard: A Framework for Sport and consider implications for practitioners and research‐based alternatives.Design/methodology/approach – A textual analysis of The Equality Standard: A Framework for Sport.Findings – The Equality Standard represents a shift from historic “one suit fits all” versions of equality policy creation in sports organisations. It is limited, however, by a reliance on formalised audit measures, limited encouragement of organisational involvement in creating equality policies, a reluctance to acknowledge powerful, taken‐for‐granted assumptions about equality, and an inability to encourage organisations to reflect on their history and culture.Research limitations/implications – Calls for future research into the further critique of audit‐based approaches to equality implementation and stronger links between academic research and practitioner experience.Practical ...

Using the kaleidoscope career model to analyze female CEOs’ experiences in sport organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine the experiences of female CEOs in New Zealand sport using a career account approach overlaid with the Kaleidoscope Career Model (KCM). This research focuses on their successful careers, rather than constraints and barriers, which is a feature of much previous research in the area. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews and analysis were informed by the principles of the KCM of career authenticity, balance and challenge. Seven chief executive officers in New Zealand sport organizations were interviewed. Data analysis was undertaken through a three-step coding process. Findings – Respondents highlighted the importance of authenticity, balance and challenge in different ways. The KCM model is extended by identifying sub-themes within each principle. These were, under authenticity, passion and relationship-building; under balance, self-awareness and influencing the organization; and under challenge, taking opportunities and working in spor...

‘Let’s be honest most people in the sporting industry are still males’: the importance of socio-cultural context for female graduates

The business case for diversity is increasingly being recognised. However, worldwide women are still under-represented at the executive level. The notions of employability and career adaptability are examined in the context of female sport management graduates, to better understand why they are not attaining leadership positions in New Zealand sport. A phenomenological paradigm using a mixed-method approach was adopted, including a survey and interviews. The findings suggested that whilst graduates were employed, there was a disconnect between university preparation and the skills required for women to be leaders within the sector. Graduates displayed career adaptability by moving out of the sector. In order to prepare and retain female graduates in the sector, curriculum design needs to acknowledge the impact of gender on employability and career adaptability.

School travel, partnerships, and neo-liberalism: insights from a South Island primary school

ABSTRACT New Zealand schools may implement school traffic safety programmes such as assisted road crossings. Within New Zealand’s neo-liberal educational framework, these initiatives require collaboration between the school and associated agencies such as city councils and parents. In this research we examined the experiences of school representatives in creating such a road crossing. A qualitative research approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were held with key members of the school community. Email correspondence, document analysis, and the researcher’s reflexive diary were also data sources. The data were analysed via a general inductive approach to identify categories and themes from the data. After 18 months of pursuing the assisted road crossing, the school was unable to proceed with it. We found that a combination of competing priorities, unclear partnership processes, and lack of parent involvement was exacerbated by the neo-liberal environment. Ideas for future research are presented.

We Are Minnesota

We assess stakeholders’ reflections ten years post-merger including the challenges that they feared and which fears actually occurred. Stakeholders’ reflections about the current merged department and what it represents were analyzed. Last, we report on the department’s current gender-political status.

To Merge or Not to Merge: That Is the Question!

The transaction stage of the merger is described including the historical background regarding the University’s decision to merge. Deliberations regarding the strengths and limitations of merging the two departments are presented and analyzed. In these discussions, we highlight the politicking of organizational stakeholders who either supported or opposed the merger.

The Rubber Hits the Road

The newly hired athletic director’s efforts to combine the two departments during the merger integration stage are examined, including the assessment of trust and loyalties, department restructuring, and cultural re-engineering. The challenges the athletic director experienced in the context of the merger are discussed in relation to the literature.