The purpose of this project of research was to investigate the perceptions of female coaches and their gendered identities using quantitative and qualitative data. A mixed-methods approach was taken using questionnaires and interviews. Videos depicting a coach interacting with athlete/athletes were shown to participants prior to completing the questionnaires. This method was used in order to investigate if there was a difference in how male and female coaches are perceived because of their gender and investigate if the masculinity/femininity of a female coach would influence others’ perceptions of their ability and the coach-athlete relationship. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how the influence of gender on perceptions of coaches may have influenced the experiences of female sport coaches. An unstructured interview was conducted to investigate the effect of gender across a coach’s career. This thesis has contributed to the body of knowledge concerning how female coaches are perceived and female coaches’ experiences in sport. It has advanced the literature on Social Role Theory to the context of sport. The main findings of this research are: (a) female coaches are rated higher than male coaches for relationship quality and empathy when in an emotional scenario, (b) female coaches perceived to be masculine are rated consistently higher within relationship quality and competency in a coaching scenario, (c) female coaches’ experiences are affected by their traditional social role associated with gender and by society’s gendered perceptions of sport, and (d) there are more factors which discourage rather than encourage the progression of female coaches.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Sudan is one of the countries with a large number of people who move around the country for safety and better living conditions due to conflicts and the long lasting war. These people are referred to as Internally Displaced People (IDPs), and most of them live in rural areas. The war in Sudan has led to socio-economic deterioration, and has negatively affected social services such as health and education, particularly in the IDP camps. As a result, children's access to education and the quality of education remain a great concern. Educational challenges include poor infrastructure, lack of facilities and teaching-learning materials, over-crowding and shortage of trained teachers. Illiteracy rates are higher among women, and the drop-out rates are higher among girls. It is believed that traditional socio-cultural practices are barriers to girls' access to education in this country. In light of the above, this study investigates factors which contribute to girls' construction of educational aspirations in the IDP camps of North and South Sudan. The girls' educational aspirations are explored in relation to gender empowerment discourses in order to gain an understanding of how gender empowerment is perceived and implemented by young females as they move between the school and home environments. It analyzes the impact of socio-cultural factors on girls' educational aspirations, perceptions and self-esteem in order to understand the significance of education within a gender empowerment framework in the lives of young girls 10 disadvantaged communities of Sudan. Through the lens of the Capabilities Approach and various Feminist views, the study explores how gender discourses in education are understood, and the extent to which they contribute to building girls' opportunities and capacities in the local context. The study provides an analysis of the girls' opinions of themselves, and the influence of socio-cultural factors on their inspirational plans and expectations. This study employed a qualitative case study design. Various qualitative data collection methods which include qualitative Life History Interviews (LHJs), In-Depth Interviews (IDIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and non-participant observations were used for triangulation purposes. Data were collected from two schools in IDP areas in North Sudan, Khartoum State and in Juba, South Sudan. The target groups were girls in Grades 6, 7 and 8. The teachers and girls' parents in the IDP communities were also involved in the study. The findings of this study indicate that the girls' educational aspirations are built around knowledge, agency and capabilities which appear to correspond with girls' empowerment and self efficacy. However, there a number of traditional socio-cultural practices which . seem to have a negative influence on girls' educational aspirations, and they tend to reinforce gender inequality and stereotypes in different ways. These practices are rooted in the patriarchal nature of the Sudanese society, and the manner in which children are socialized. Girls' educational aspirations in such contexts are subject to the life challenges that they experience in their environment, such as poverty and their perceived low socio-economic status at home and in school. This study concludes that girls' educational aspirations and perceptions are constructed and shaped within the gender role socialization and the traditional or patriarchal social system in Sudan. The home and school environments in disadvantaged communities of Sudan appear to reinforce gender inequality in the manner in which parents and teachers treat children. The entrenched socio-cultural practices and pressures seem to impact negatively on the school girls' educational aspirations, expectations and self-esteem. The research provides a number of recommendations which aim at bridging the gender gap in school and at home, in order to support girls' equal access to education. It recommends free gender biased school and home environments which provide equal education opportunities to both boys and girls for socio-economic empowerment.

Statistik visar att hälsan är sämre hos hbtq+-personer än hos den övriga befolkningen. Till exempel är oro, ångest och självmordstankar betydligt vanligare. Idrott och fysisk aktivitet är hälsofrämjande och stärkande på flera sätt. Det såväl förebygger som bibehåller en god hälsa, både fysiskt och psykiskt. Idrottsrörelsen är ett väldigt viktigt socialt sammanhang för många. Idrott kan vara av fostrande och utbildande karaktär och ge färdigheter inom till exempel lagarbete och ledarskap. Hbtq+-ungdomar är underrepresenterade inom idrott, träning och tävling. De som deltar i idrott känner sig mindre trygga än heterosexuella och cis-personer. Många upplever en rädsla för att bli dåligt behandlade och har erfarenheter av att bli dåligt bemötta och utsatta för kränkningar och microaggressioner. Hbtq+-personer rapporterar i högre utsträckning att de har en stillasittande fritid samt motionerar eller tränar regelbundet i mindre utsträckning än befolkningen in övrigt. Denna uppsats belyser forskning om hbtq+-ungdomars erfarenheter av idrott och könsföreställningar inom idrotten i Sverige som kan påverka attityder till hbtq+. Dessa delas in i kategorierna omklädningsrum, språk samt fördomar och negativitet. Omklädningsrum upprätthåller och normaliserar en binär norm om könsidentitet och uttryck. För många ungdomar är det en plats som skapar osäkerhet, exkludering och ojämlikhet. Många vittnar om sexistiskt och homo- och transfobiskt språkbruk inom idrottsrörelsen. Det finns stöd för att sexism, fördomar och homo- och transnegativitet är en del av sportkulturen. Den präglas av könsnormativa och heteronormativa synsätt och ideal. Rådande normer, förväntningar och föreställningar kring kön och sexualitet spelar stor roll inom idrotten. Det kan göra så att ungdomar exkluderas från idrott och därmed från de många fördelar som associeras med idrott och fysisk aktivitet. En ökad kunskap och medvetenhet om hbtq+-personers erfarenheter och könsföreställningar inom idrott kan öka tryggheten, inkluderingen och jämlikheten inom idrotten samt stärka folkhälsan. / Statistic shows that the health of LGBTQ+people is worse than the rest of the population. For example, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are much more common. Sports and physical activity are health-promoting and strengthening in several ways. It both prevent and maintains good health, both physical and mentally. The sport movement is a very importent social context for many. Sport can be of an educational nature and provide skills in, for example, teamwork and leadership. LGBTQ+youth are underrepresented in sports, training and competition. Those who participate in sports feel less safe than heterosexual and cis people. Many experiences a fear of being poorly treated and has experience of being poorly treated and subjected to violations and microaggressions. LGBTQ+people report to a greater extent that they have a sedentary leisure time and exercise regulary to a lesser extent than the general population. This paper highlights research on LGBTQ+young people's experiences of sport and gender perceptions in sport in Sweden that can influence attitudes towards LGBTQ+. These are divided into the categories of chnaging rooms, language and prejudice and negativity. Locker rooms maintain and normalize a binary norm of gender identity and expression. For many young people, it is a place that creates uncertainty, exclusion and inequality. Many testify to sexistic and homo- and transphobic language in the sports movement. There is support for sexism, prejudice and homo- and transnegativity is part of sports culture. It is characterized by gender-normal and heteronormative views and ideals. Prevailing norms, expectations and beliefs about ggender and sexuality play a major role in sport. This can exclude LGBTQ+youth from sport and thus from the many benefits associated with sports and physical activity. Increased knowledge and awarness of LGBTQ+people's experiences and gender perceptions in sport can increase safety, inclusion and equality in sport and strengthen public health.

This thesis researches the construction of gender ideals for the new Middle Class and women’s involvement in the same by analysing fashion magazines published in Germany and Sweden between 1786 to 1827 and 1818 to 1844, respectively. The analysis consists of two parts: first, the share of women’s involvement in the public sphere as defined by Habermas as well as the justification of the inclusion of female-written texts and second, the nature of gender ideals in relation to the separate spheres’ framework. They show that the highest percentage of female contributions to fashion magazines was 5.3 % for the Swedish magazine from 1840 to 1844, while the lowest percentage of female contributions was 2.1 % for the German magazine from 1820 to 1827. Furthermore, the inclusion of texts written by women was often justified through their domestic virtue or the statement that they never wanted their texts to be published. The publication was thus against their will, which firmly anchors the female authors in the private sphere. In the second part, this study shows that women authors in the fashion magazines mainly advocated for the separation of the public and private but, in comparison to gender ideals shared by male authors, did not advocate for the submission of women. Regarding the stereotypes of emotionality and rationality, I find that women were mostly portrayed as emotional by men but would contest these negative portrayals of their sex. At the same time, men were portrayed as emotional and rational by both female and male authors, which is surprising considering the prominent male ideal of rationality.

This dissertation explores how women kindergarten teachers in Pakistan understand the concept of gender as evident from their own reflections of their life experiences and from their interaction with their students. Early childhood education and gender equality in education are critical policy issues in Pakistan. Women pre-primary teachers have received little specific attention and little is known about their experiences. Seven women kindergarten teachers from one co-educational, private, English-medium school in the urban city of Karachi, Pakistan were involved in this mixed-method study. Multiple methods were used, namely, life history interviews with the women teachers, classroom observations of their teaching practice and interactions with girls and boys, and document analysis. Data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The findings were presented and discussed through the five nested interrelated structures – microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem - of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development. Study findings reveal that the family and school are critical microsystems that have shaped the women kindergarten teachers’ understanding of gender in terms of possibilities and impossibilities for girls and boys, women and men within the norms of the broader patriarchal macrosystem. Throughout their lives across the chronosystem, they have had to negotiate multiple positions in their patriarchal extended families, schools, and, to some extent, the larger community in response to social change across diverse geographical spaces. Compromise and conformity have formed much of how they have understood their role and position as women in this patriarchal context. As women and as kindergarten teachers, they are doubly disadvantaged. They have been inadequately prepared to take up positions as pre-primary teachers. Nevertheless, their developing knowledge of teaching young children based on their practice and in-service training in a school with a positive outlook towards teaching has led to a more professional perspective of themselves and their careers. They are committed to teaching, but face the challenge of coping with their professional and familial demands. Often times, they draw upon their religion for strength and to make sense of their gendered experiences. Tensions are evident in their understanding of gender, particularly in relation to their own children and their kindergarten students, about following ascribed gender norms or allowing for more change in tradition in a context being rapidly influenced by globalization and socio-economic change. For the most part, their interaction with their students reflected their internalization of dominant patriarchal values and their active role in perpetuating them. Nevertheless, their gendered teaching practice has also presented possibilities for change in their unconscious and, occasionally conscious, attempts to push gender boundaries towards more equitable gender relationships in this patriarchal context. This study is significant for bringing to the fore women kindergarten teachers’ lived experiences to provide a dimension of education which has gone largely unexamined locally and globally, and which, in the context of Pakistan, are critical to consider in light of issues related to quality, access, and gender equity in early childhood education.

This dissertation explores how women kindergarten teachers in Pakistan understand the concept of gender as evident from their own reflections of their life experiences and from their interaction with their students. Early childhood education and gender equality in education are critical policy issues in Pakistan. Women pre-primary teachers have received little specific attention and little is known about their experiences. Seven women kindergarten teachers from one co-educational, private, English-medium school in the urban city of Karachi, Pakistan were involved in this mixed-method study. Multiple methods were used, namely, life history interviews with the women teachers, classroom observations of their teaching practice and interactions with girls and boys, and document analysis. Data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The findings were presented and discussed through the five nested interrelated structures – microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem - of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development. Study findings reveal that the family and school are critical microsystems that have shaped the women kindergarten teachers’ understanding of gender in terms of possibilities and impossibilities for girls and boys, women and men within the norms of the broader patriarchal macrosystem. Throughout their lives across the chronosystem, they have had to negotiate multiple positions in their patriarchal extended families, schools, and, to some extent, the larger community in response to social change across diverse geographical spaces. Compromise and conformity have formed much of how they have understood their role and position as women in this patriarchal context. As women and as kindergarten teachers, they are doubly disadvantaged. They have been inadequately prepared to take up positions as pre-primary teachers. Nevertheless, their developing knowledge of teaching young children based on their practice and in-service training in a school with a positive outlook towards teaching has led to a more professional perspective of themselves and their careers. They are committed to teaching, but face the challenge of coping with their professional and familial demands. Often times, they draw upon their religion for strength and to make sense of their gendered experiences. Tensions are evident in their understanding of gender, particularly in relation to their own children and their kindergarten students, about following ascribed gender norms or allowing for more change in tradition in a context being rapidly influenced by globalization and socio-economic change. For the most part, their interaction with their students reflected their internalization of dominant patriarchal values and their active role in perpetuating them. Nevertheless, their gendered teaching practice has also presented possibilities for change in their unconscious and, occasionally conscious, attempts to push gender boundaries towards more equitable gender relationships in this patriarchal context. This study is significant for bringing to the fore women kindergarten teachers’ lived experiences to provide a dimension of education which has gone largely unexamined locally and globally, and which, in the context of Pakistan, are critical to consider in light of issues related to quality, access, and gender equity in early childhood education.

Abstract This cross-sectional survey study investigated middle and high school administrative team members’ leadership classifications and perceptions of secondary principals’ leadership actions and behaviors in the context of change and to what extent these perceptions are gender specific. In addition to gender, the study also examined the impact of race/ethnicity, age, campus level, length of employment in the district, length of time working with the principal, and closeness to the principals on leadership actions and behaviors. The results of the study are intended to highlight the importance and value of feminine-inspired leadership approaches and administrative team members’ perspectives of leadership in managing and leading the change process. The study targeted the leadership actions and behaviors of 39 middle school and 28 high school principals assigned to traditional secondary schools in the southwestern United States. Administrative team members’ perceptions of secondary school principals’ approaches to leadership served as the basis for the study, which investigated whether administrative team members perceived principals’ leadership actions or behaviors in a change context to be gender specific. Male and female administrative team members (n=210) were surveyed using the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ), Form XII – fourth revision (Ohio State University, 1962). Based on survey results, secondary principals were classified as dynamic, considerate, passive, and structured leaders as rated by administrative team members using the LBDQ. The results of the study revealed that gender and school level of administrative team members did not influence the classification of secondary principals as dynamic, considerate, passive, or structured leaders. The ratings of those principals perceived as dynamic were statistically significantly higher than those of principals as passive and structured leaders. Out of 62 secondary principals, administrative team members classified principals as follows: dynamic leaders 63% (n=39), considerate leaders 5% (n=3), passive leaders 16% (n=10) and structured leaders 16% (n=10). Additionally, dynamic leaders received a statistically significant higher rating of closeness to principal when compared to passive and structured leaders. The findings of the study, which illuminate the perspectives of administrative team members with regard to secondary school principals, have implications for informing research on school leadership as well as educational leadership practices.