Eight Reasons Why Women Coaches Matter

When girls and young women see females in coaching roles they will more likely think about coaching as a legitimate and viable career and may aspire to become a coach. 

Recently, a piece sharing the data on lack of women head swimming and diving coaches at the collegiate level was posted on swimswam.com. That data is part of my research at the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota.

The data shared was accurate: swimming and diving both get an F grade on our Women in College Coaching Report Card, at the NCAA D-I level and a D grade for both at the D-III level. What this means is that less than one in four collegiate female swimmers are coached by a same sex role model, and that fewer men get the benefit of a cross-sex role model.

Let me contrast that by stating that nearly ALL (~96-98 percent) men’s collegiate teams are coached by men. Swimming and diving is unique in that it is a “co-ed” sport so we’d think we’d see more women coaches. 

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