Where are the Women Coaches?

An interesting fact: when Title IX was passed in 1972, outlawing sex discrimination in school sports, 90% of girls teams had women coaches. Today, that number is down to 42%. Where are the Women Coaches? And what difference does it make?

Although it's easy to minimize the impact of the women's coaching shortage--for example, fathers often introduce young girls to sports and remain active in their athletic development, so many female college players say they prefer playing for a male coach--here's why we shouldn't: most student athletes spend more time with their coach than with any other adult at school. Many coaches wield enormous influence on campus and in their communities. So what message is being sent to young women when men fill most of these leadership roles? "Their own expectations, their own aspirations are limited and distorted as a result," says Marcia Greenberger, a co-president of the National Women's Law Center.