| Releases & Statements
Contact: Frank Sobrino
O: (212) 669-4193
For Immediate Release: Thursday, August
17, 2006
Unlevel
Playing Field for Girls, Gotbaum Study Finds
Girls do not have the same opportunity
as boys to compete in Public Schools Athletic League sports, according
to a report released today by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.
Gotbaum looked at the 185 public high
schools that fielded PSAL teams last school year and found that,
though slightly more than half of the students enrolled at the
schools were girls, girls teams accounted for only 44 percent
of all PSAL squads. Boys teams accounted for 55 percent of PSAL
teams, a bias of 11 percentage points in favor of boys systemwide.
At nearly one in five schools, there was a bias of 20 percentage
points or more in favor of boys sports opportunities.
In addition, Gotbaum found that the
PSAL sports schedule discriminated against girls by scheduling
some girls sports out of season, limiting players’ exposure
to college recruiters. Boy teams in the same sports competed in
season.
“Some might be tempted to shrug
the disparities off as insignificant and attribute them to girls
not being as interested in sports as boys,” Gotbaum said.
“The fact is, girls are being shortchanged and, as studies
have shown, they would participate in sports in greater numbers
if given the chance.
“It’s the 21st Century—the
time to level the playing field for girls is long past due,”
Gotbaum added.
Among the report’s findings:
· Overall breakdown of teams:
o 43.6 percent, or 1,037 of 2,376
PSAL teams, are girls teams.
o 54.7 percent, or 1,299 of 2,376
PSAL teams, are boys teams.
o 1.7 percent, or 40 of 2,376 PSAL
teams, are co-ed teams.
· Nearly one in five schools
(34 of 185 schools) had a bias of 20 percentage points or more
against girls sports opportunities.
· More than one-third (65 of
185 schools) of schools had a greater than 10- percentage-point
bias against girls sports opportunities.
· Fourteen schools fielded
only boys teams.
· More developmental (new)
teams were added for boys (48) than girls (44) last year, increasing
the bias against girls sports opportunities.
· The PSAL schedule discriminated
against girls—girls fencing, soccer, golf, and swimming
were scheduled in the “off-season,” when fewer college
recruiters are evaluating talent, while boys teams competing in
the same sports played during the regular season.
“Parents and teachers are always
telling young women they can do anything the boys can do, but
that message is undermined when girls see that their school doesn’t
afford them the opportunity to compete in a particular PSAL sport
or, in some cases, in any PSAL sport at all,” Gotbaum said.
Gotbaum noted that women who lead
active lifestyles during adolescence are less likely to develop
osteoporosis, breast cancer, and diabetes as adults, and are more
likely to adopt long-term exercise routines. In addition, studies
show that young women who participate in sports are less likely
than non-athletes to use illicit drugs, become pregnant, smoke
cigarettes, or be suicidal and more likely to excel in science
and graduate from high school.
To correct the bias against girls
sports opportunities, Gotbaum recommended that the PSAL, the Department
of Education, and school officials work to create new girls teams
wherever possible, particularly in those schools where the gender
bias is most pronounced.
Gotbaum also recommended that PSAL
maintain equitable scheduling for girls’ teams and partner
with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Take
Care New York media campaign to raise awareness of the benefits
to girls of playing sports and promote girls’ sporting events.
“This isn’t about taking
anything away from the boys,” Gotbaum said. “This
is about making sure that girls have the same opportunity to experience
all the benefits that come from playing in the PSAL. Second-class
status for female athletes is unfair and unacceptable.”
* * *
Making
the Team: Gender Inequality in New York City PSAL Sports Teams
(August 2006)
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