Women’s Participation in Intercollegiate Sports Is at an All-Time High

A new report from R. Vivian Acosta and Linda Jean Carpenter, professors emerita at Brooklyn College, finds that there are now about 200,000 women participating in intercollegiate athletics. This is the highest number in history. The study found that colleges and universities had an average of 8.3 athletics teams for women. In 1970 there was an average of 2.5 women’s teams per school.

In 2012 there were 9,274 women’s teams at the collegiate level. This is an increase of 2,928 teams from 1998. There are more basketball teams for women than any other sport, followed by volleyball and soccer.

The study also found that here were 3,974 head coaches of women’s college teams, the highest number to date. Yet, more than half the women’s teams in college sports are coached by men.

The report, Women in Intercollegiate Sport: A Longitudinal National Study, Thirty-Five Year Update (1977-2012), can be downloaded here.