Female Athletic Trainers Working with Male Division I Teams: Exploring their Experiences and Interactions

Abstract

Despite representing half of all certified athletic trainers in the United States, females tend to not staff male teams at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. To date, there has not been much research on female athletic trainers (ATs), especially in positions such as head athletic trainer of a Division I school or at the professional level. Rather, the few studies that have been conducted have focused on the work-life conflict female ATs face and its relationship to higher attrition rates from the profession. The current study extended the examination of female ATs by exploring the experiences of female athletic trainers who currently staff or have previously staffed (within the past 5 years) male Division I teams through the lens of hegemonic masculinity. Findings suggest that gender stereotypes and sex roles, various levels and types of support, and mentors/role models influenced participant experiences. These findings suggest possible causes of higher attrition rates for women than men in the athletic training field besides work-family conflict and suggest a new avenue of research to be explored further.