Gender equity in two‐year athletic departments: Part I

Abstract

Although it may seem strange today, in the early 1970s the idea of women students receiving scholarship assistance on the basis of their athletic ability was not a common occurrence. Some postsecondary institutions were offering female athletes scholarships before the passage of Title IX in 1972, but others steadfastly held to a no-athletic-scholarship policy, abiding by a philosophical belief that athletic scholarships were part and parcel of a commercialized male athletic model that favored winning over education and opened the door for pressurized recruiting practices, academic fraud, Despite the role that female athletes at the community college level played in this defining moment, it is interesting to note that there is little in the way of a comprehensive history of women's college sports at two-year institutions. To situate the current state of gender equity in athletic programs in two-year institutions in context, this chapter presents a brief historical overview of women in two-year athletic program leadership and then discusses how two-year athletic associations and commissions have defined gender equity, essential understandings of Title IX as applied to athletic programs, and the research that has been done on issues related to gender equity in athletic departments in two-year institutions.

Women in Sport Leadership, Fifty Years Since Title IX

“…While the significant increase in girls' participation in high school athletics continues, the large gap between the number of male and female coaches and the even greater gender difference in the positions of athletic administration remain (Staurowsky, 2009;Whisenant, 2003;. In fact, as suggested by Bradford and Keshock (2009), the gap is actually rising.…”

“…Furthermore, limited opportunities for advancement in athletic administration are available to women (Bradford & Keshock, 2009). Although there has been a pronounced increase in girls' participation in high school and collegiate athletics, the substantial disparity between the number of male and female coaches as well as the even greater gender difference in the positions of athletic administration remains (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014;Hancock & Hums, 2016;Staurowsky, 2009;Whisenant, 2008;Whisenant, Vincent, et al, 2005).…”