A survey conducted by the Chronicle of Higher Education found that colleges are making small gains in the number of female athletes and budgets for women’s sports.
In 1998-99, female athletes saw their budgets rise for scholarships, coaches’ salaries, and budgets for operating and recruiting expenses. Only 36 institutions that participated in the survey met the federal requirement for gender proportional scholarships awarded to athletes, but 175 colleges exceeded the amounts they were required to provide for women.
Title IX of the Education Acts of 1972 prohibits discrimination against girls and women in federally-funded education, including athletics programs.
However, Division I schools continue to spend nearly twice as much on salaries of coaches of men’s teams. Data from 311 Division I schools was included in the survey.
The Chronicle has a searchable database online that allows viewers to compare gender-equity data for colleges in a given state, NCAA division, or athletic conference.
