INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA has released data from its 2002-03 NCAA Gender Equity Report, which indicates slight gains for women participating in intercollegiate over the past year, but large gains in some areas compared to the past decade. 

The NCAA report is used to help track gender-equity issues in all subdivisions of Division I and in Divisions II and III at NCAA member institutions.  The annual report provides a comparative basis between women's and men's athletics programs.  The NCAA has conducted the gender-equity survey with its member institutions since 1991. 

There were slight gains in female student-athlete participation between the 2002-03 report and the data from the 2001-02 report.  Compared to the 2001-02 study, the proportion of female student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics held steady at 44 percent in Division I, while increasing one percent in Division II to 40 percent and increasing two percent in Division III to 42 percent.  In comparing studies that date back to 1991-92, the data reveal notable increases in the proportion of female student-athletes at NCAA member institutions.  For example, in Division I, female student-athlete participation increased from 31 to 44 percent; from 32 to 40 percent in Division II; and from 35 to 42 percent in Division III.

"We’ve seen minimal gains in the last few years and large gains overall in the last decade, which means improvement is occurring, but we must do better in our efforts to achieve equity in a timelier manner,” said Judy Sweet, senior vice-president for championships and education services, and senior woman administrator at the NCAA national office.  “We must be committed to achieving equity in overall student-athlete participation and in providing equitable resources and support services, including funding for recruiting and coaching salaries for women.”  

The proportion of scholarship dollars for women's teams continues to increase, yet men still receive the bulk of the scholarship dollars overall.  In Division I-A, men receive 58 percent of the scholarship dollars, while women receive 42 percent.  In Division I-AA, men receive 56 percent of the scholarship dollars, while women receive 44 percent.  In Division I-AAA, with the absence of football, female student-athletes continue to receive a majority of the athletics scholarship money (55 percent) and make up 50 percent of the student-athlete population.  In Division II, actual spending on scholarships increased for both men ($27,000) and women ($23,000), while the proportion of dollars spent for women decreased by one percent.

The proportion of women's sports recruiting costs remained constant from the 2001-02 report to the 2002-03 report in Division I, and decreased by one percent in Division II and III.  More dollars are being spent to recruit in each division, with the exception of Division III where it decreased.  Among the divisions that sponsor football, women receive 35 percent or less of the dollars in recruiting budget.  For example, in Division I-A schools women receive just 30 percent of the recruiting dollars.  Over the past 12 years, the increase in recruiting expenses is greater for women’s sports than for men’s sports in all divisions with the largest increase for women’s sports coming in Division I-A ($115,400).  The division with the largest proportion increase in the amount of dollars spent on women’s sports recruiting expenses is Division I-AAA, with a 12-year change from 25 to 44 percent, while Division II shows the smallest proportional increase from 24 to 35 percent.  

In Divisions I and II, total expenses increased for both male and female athletes from 2001-02 to 2002-03.  However, in Division III the total expenses for men's sports increased, while they decreased for women's sports.  The proportion of money spent on women's athletics in Divisions I and II showed marginal increases, which were approximately equal to or slightly smaller than increases in men's athletics.  Women’s programs in Division I-AAA received the highest proportion of total expenses at 48 percent, while women’s programs in Division I-A received the lowest proportion at 30 percent.  In Divisions II and III, women received 41 and 40 percent, respectively.

The data also reveal that there continues to be a significant gap in men's and women's coaching salaries in Division I-A.  Division I-A noted an increase in the average amount of money allocated for all men's team head coaches' salaries ($132,100) as compared to women's teams head coaches' salaries ($43,000).  Additionally, the proportion of dollars spent on women's teams head coaches' salaries decreased one percent (35 percent) from the 2001-02 report to the 2002-03 report.  In Division I-AA and in Divisions II and III, the increase in spending on women's teams head coaches' salaries outpaced the increase for men's teams head coaches' salaries.  Division II women's teams head coaches received the highest proportion of the salary budget at 48 percent.

Overall, the proportion of dollars spent on women's team assistant coaches' salaries lags behind that of men's team assistant coaches' salaries.  In Division I-AAA, where there is no football, women's team assistant coaches received 46 percent of the salary budget.  In other NCAA divisions, women's team assistant coaches received no more than 32 percent of the salary budget.  In Division I-A, schools spent an average of $493,700 on its women’s team assistant coaches salaries (27 percent), while spending an average of $1,332,700 on men’s team assistant coaches salaries.

"I’m concerned when I see the study data on coaching salaries.  The salaries continue to rise more rapidly in men’s sports, increasing the gap in salaries provided coaches of women’s sports especially at the Division I-A level,” Sweet said.