The "stepped back" quote has me questioning myself. So many of the female referees I work with are upcoming youth and therefore they don't have the process nailed down yet that I might be worrying over nothing. I probably don't do this but will pay attention and add this to my arsenal if it's appropriate. The few times I have had an experienced female referee she definitely does all the talking at check in, with the exception of me taking charge of the 4th official duties; mainly match ball requests and pressure checks. I'm hoping that sends the right message that I am the subordinate because I'm doing the "scutwork".
@voiceoflg , could you provide some context or commentary here? Link-dumping (just posting a link with no comment) is not allowed and we've had some issues in the past. Rather than spike the thread, since the content is relevant, you giving a few of your own thoughts here would make everything okay. Thanks in advance.
My apologies. I got the article in my email from my SRA. And I haven't been able to read all of it to give my thoughts on it. But since my SRA shared it with us, I thought it would be worth sharing here. As far as I saw, it shows how far females have come in refereeing, and the challenges that remain. As wguynes noted, the stepping back is definitely something I need in my arsenal. Often I am AR to a female center half my age but with twice or more experience. When we approach a male coach, even with the female CR in between the ARs, the coach will often step up and shake my hand first assuming I am "in charge."