On the 50th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) issued “The State of Women in College Sports” to illustrate the participation gains for female student-athletes as well as the ongoing inequalities. The report also provides data on the disparities that women of color face when trying to access college sports both as student-athletes and as coaches and administration.
Data for this report came from multiple NCAA resources. The NCAA does not enforce Title IX but does provide information and resources for member institutions. 
Amy Wilson
Title IX is just 37 words. “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” It was not specifically designed to apply to college sports, but that is where its greatest impact has been.
The report notes that not only has women’s participation in college sports increased over the years but so has racial diversity among female student-athletes. The 2020 data shows that Division I is the most diverse with 32% of participants on women’s teams being women of color, and Division III is the least diverse at 22%.
Division I has the highest women’s participation at 47%, but it also has the largest disparity in the allocation of resources between men’s and women’s programs. The decline in participation rates from high school to college remain stark. In 2018-19, 3.4 million female high school athletes were eligible to play college sports, but only 218,496 actually did.
“Society needs to look to the school systems to provide more access and opportunity in the K–12 space,” said Heather MacCulloch, director of athletics and recreation at Baruch College. “I believe championing efforts to underserved and underrepresented communities with organized outreach is crucial.”
Dr. Tomika L. Ferguson, assistant dean for student affairs and inclusive excellence and an assistant professor in the department of educational leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education, said the pipeline is not high school to college, it begins with youth.
