A new national report from the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, released March 11, 2026, highlights a critical issue in the coaching landscape: women are leaving the profession not by choice, but due to systemic barriers.
Led by Nicole M. LaVoi, the research identifies low pay and inadequate workplace structures as the primary factors driving this trend. Rather than placing responsibility on individual women, the report calls for a fundamental shift in perspective—urging organizations to take accountability for the environments they’ve created.
The key takeaway is clear: retaining women in coaching requires redesigning the system itself. By addressing compensation gaps and improving professional infrastructure, sports organizations can better support and sustain a more diverse and stable coaching workforce over the long term.