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GAO report cites gender-equity advances

The NCAA has taken a variety of actions since 1992 to aid its membership in complying with Title IX, according to a report issued by the General Accounting Office.

The report, which was issued October 25, noted that since the first gender-equity survey in 1992, the NCAA has:

* Created a task force to further examine gender equity in the athletics programs of its membership.

* Incorporated a principle of gender equity into the NCAA constitution that states that the NCAA should adopt its own legislation to facilitate member schools' compliance with gender-equity laws.

* Included gender equity as a requisite for athletics certification.

* Taken steps to update the 1992 gender-equity study.

* Identified emerging sports to help member schools achieve gender equity, as well as meet the interests and abilities of female student-athletes.

* Provided technical assistance by developing a resource book on gender equity and Title IX compliance, and by conducting periodic seminars on Title IX compliance.

Overall, the report noted that gender equity in intercollegiate athletics is being developed through a three-part effort by the NCAA, the Department of Education and various state legislatures.

"While gender equity has yet to be fully achieved in intercollegiate athletics," the report stated, "incremental gains continue to accrue.

"Results from eight national gender-equity studies reinforce that gains have occurred since 1992 in the number of women's sports that schools offer, the number of female students participating in athletics, and the percentage of scholarship funds available to student-athletes. For example, many schools have recently added, or plan to add within the next three years, at least one women's athletics program.

"The studies also show, however, that many of the schools' women's programs lag behind those for men when comparing such factors as the percentage of female head coaches, the salaries paid to coaches and the proportion of women student-athletes to the total undergraduate enrollment (women often constitute half of all undergraduates but a little over one-third of student-athletes)."

The eight studies cited in the report were "Women in Intercollegiate Sport, a Longitudinal Study" by Acosta and Carpenter; "Marketing Implications of Title IX to Collegiate Athletic Departments" by Barr, Sutton, McDonald and others; the 1995 version of the NCAA sports-participation report; the 1993 NCAA revenues and expenses report; an American Volleyball Coaches Association survey on compensation; a Women's Basketball Coaches Association survey on compensation; and two newspaper articles.

The GAO study was made at the request of Rep. Cardiss Collins, D-Illinois.

In addition to the actions taken by the NCAA to encourage gender equity, the GAO also cited action taken by the Department of Education and a number of state legislatures.

The report noted that the Department of Education has developed a strategy directed at preventing Title IX violations, rather than prosecuting them. Preventive activities include clarifying the Title IX policies of the Office for Civil Rights and making additional technical assurance available to colleges to help them in meeting Title IX requirements. The report also noted the creation in 1994 of a National Coordinator for Title IX Athletics to help effectively manage Title IX activities.

Although the emphasis is on prevention, the report noted that since the 1992 fiscal year, the Office for Civil Rights has investigated and resolved 80 intercollegiate athletics complaints to which the agency's "three-part test" (substantial proportionality, progress toward proportionality, and accommodation of the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex) was applied. Of those 80 complaints, compliance or action that should result in compliance had been taken in 16 cases relating to part 1, four to part 2 and 42 to part 3.

The remaining 18 institutions are still implementing their settlement agreements and have yet to determine how they will comply.

[The GAO noted that although OCR may initiate administrative proceedings to refuse, suspend or terminate federal financial assistance to any institution violating Title IX, no such action has been necessary in the 25 years the law has been in effect because institutions have voluntarily complied when violations were identified.]

As for action taken by states, the report noted that states "vary considerably in their efforts to promote or ensure gender equity in intercollegiate athletics." It said that 22 states reported having laws or other requirements that specifically address gender equity in intercollegiate athletics.

Thirteen of those states have full- or part-time staff responsible for gender-equity issues. Eight states use indicators such as female student-athlete participation rates to measure progress toward gender equity, with most of those states reporting progress.