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womens salaries

womens salaries For many years women have been fighting for equal pay, equal benefits, and equal rights. When Congress passed Title IX, women thought they had won the battle, but still they have a long way to go. In 1972,Congress passed the Educational Amendments. One section, Title IX prohibits discrimination against girls and women in federally funded education, which includes athletic programs (Feminist Majority Foundation). Congress developed Title IX because of the gross inequities in college sports (McCullough). The effect has been stunning: the ratio of high school girls on teams has risen from 1 in 27 then, to 1 in 3 today. In 1972, the year Title IX was signed, men coached over ninety percent of women’s teams (Feminist Majority Foundation). Now, men coach half of women’s college teams, but women coach only two percent of men’s teams (Feminist Majority Foundation) The average salary difference between a head coach of a men’s team and a head coach of a women’s team was between $18,000 and $25,000 dollars (Gender Equity). Even in a female dominated sport like gymnastics, the men coaches were paid more on average (Feminist Majority Foundation). Women coaches aren’t just short changed on their salary, the Division I athletic department spent more than twice as much money on recruiting male athletes (Welch). The NCAA found that men receive 70% scholarship money, 77% of operating budgets, and 83% recruiting money (Feminist Majority Foundation). As of women athletes performing, in 1972, women comprised only 15.6 % of college athletes, and as of 1993 the percentage has grown to 34.8 % (Feminist Majority Foundation). All Division I Male coaches Female coaches Head coaches of men's teams 2,389 57 Assistant coaches of men's teams 5,738 320 Total number who are coaching men 8,127 377 Head coaches of women's teams 1,394 1,245 Assistant coaches of women's teams 1,827 2,440 Total number who are coaching women 3,221 3,685 Four different attempts to found a women’s basketball league have been made in the last two decades-and failed (Kaufman, Gegax, 68-69). Olympian and Women’s National Basketball Association player Rebecca Lobo says, “ The salary is still far from the million dollar mark” (Kaufman, Gegax, 68-69) WNBA rookies start out at $26,500$ a year plus benefits, and some top draft picks earn as little as $56,000, “The league is caught between the need to recruit talent with drawing power and the need to keep costs low enough to maintain five to ten dollar tickets” (Woellert, p.105). Tickets are fifteen dollars less than the men’s National Basketball Association tickets (Leland, Rosenberg, p56). Early play of the WNBA was sloppy, in part because the teams were new, and many players were new, and many players had trouble adjusting to the oatmeal and orange ball. (Welch). Teams had only had three weeks of preseason, and many of the women seemed sluggish from the travel schedule (Welch). In an early season low, Los Angeles Sparks center, Lisa Leslie leapt for a dunk and came down on her backside, some in the audience erupted in laughter (Welch). Now, the WNBA has Television deals with NBC, ESPN, and Lifetime. “The first year the WNBA spent fifteen million dollars on marketing, and one million dollars on salary” quoted Billie Jean King, a pioneer of women’s tennis (Equal Footing). Industry experts put the value of national contracts at about 25 million dollars over the past three years (Woellert, p.106). Soccer icon Mia Hamm who played on the U.S gold medal winning soccer team said, “ Without sponsorships, many athletes would be unable to take part in competition” (Equal Footing). The highest paid NBA player is Kevin Garnett whose 2000-2001 salary was $19,606,300 dollars (NBA Salary Report). With sponsor ties and bonuses a small amount of WNBA players can earn six figure incomes, but base salaries cap out at $80,000 (Wollert p.106). Although we think that is an astonishing figure lets look at a comparison of the American Basketball League, which was one of the first women’s basketball league, it went bankrupt in 1999 because it could not compete with the NBA’s media and marketing clout (Woellert p.104), the WNBA, and the NBA. Height 6ft. 5ft. 11in. 6ft. 7in. Salary million 30,000 $ 70,000 $ 2.3$ Field goal percentage 41% 43.9% 45.5% Points per game (avg.) 69 78.2 96.9 Reg. Season attendance 9,391 3,600 17,077 Sources: WNBA, ABL, NBA Nielsen Sports Marketing (Leland, Rosenberg) Although there are many differences, the two that show most is the games per season and attendance. The NBA plays 82 games a year, their season last from October to June. The WNBA season goes from May to August (Britannica Concise). The difference in attendance between the WNBA and NBA is almost eight thousand people, but NBC ratings for the WNBA season opener surpassed all other sports in that time slot by reaching 1.4 million households (Leland, Rosenberg, p.56). The NBA averaged 4.8 million households this regular season (Rosenberg, Leland p.56). Coverage of women’s sports has improved but over 90% of all print column inches and hours of televised sports still go to the men (Zavian). The 2002 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game attracted an average audience of 3,487,262 households, making it ESPN’s most-viewed college basketball game (men’s or women’s) ever. It has only been since 1991 that women’s sports received more coverage than horse and dog racing (Zavian). In a study in 1991 of four U.S. newspapers, women-only sports stories accounted for only 3.5% of the sports coverage (Zavian). Stories focusing on men’s sports outnumbered those on women’s sports by a ratio of 23 to 1 (Zavian). ABL players were paid on average $70,000 with a minimum salary of $40,000 and a maximum of $125,000 annually (Women’s Professional Basketball Set to Go). The average prize earnings of the top ten professional male athletes were at least double that of their female counterparts in tennis, bowling, golf, skiing and beach volleyball (Zavian). Detroit Shock guard Jennifer Azzi shocked women’s sports when she said she would not return to the WNBA because of low pay. She earned $200,000 a year in the ABL, and because of its closure she moved to the WNBA and just made $44,000 last year (Woellert p.04). By league rule, the WNBA teams fly commercial airlines, coach and in Houston where the Comets play they do not even have their own names on their cubicles (Leland, Rosenburg p.56). The WNBA has 16 teams and the NBA has 29, many people think that the WNBA doesn’t have the talent to fill all of the teams. Nikki McCray who plays for the Indiana Fever is one of the WNBA’s premier players. Here is a comparison of her and Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the highest paid NBA player. Minnesota Timberwolves (joined the NBA in 1995 directly from high school). 1997 averages: 17 points and eight rebounds per game 1998 salary: reportedly more than $250,000 per game Indiana Fever (NCAA All-American; Olympic gold medallist; 1997 ABL MVP) 1997 averages: 20 points per game and 5 rebounds 1998 salary: capped by the WNBA at no more than $1,833 per game Source: Davis, Kristin. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, Dec. 97, Vol. 51 Issue 12 Kevin Garnett joined the NBA straight out of high school, the WNBA requires players to complete their college eligibility or be 21 (Rosenberg, Leland p.56). There is also pay shortages in other sports besides basketball, the women’s tennis tour has no title sponsor and the women’s champion at Wimbledon this year will earn 70,000$ less than the men’s (Equal Footing). Wimbledon voted to increase the prize money for both sexes, but women still receive less than the men (Zavian). The Women’s Tennis Association purse has grown from 250,000 in 1971, to 45 million dollars in 1999 (Equal Footing). Leanne Barrette, 1991’s top-earning lady bowler, whose 87,600 was less than 40% of the men’s equivalent (Economist). Recently Ladies Professional Golf Association Commissioner Ty Votaw said that,” While it seems logical to compare the LPGA and the Professional Golf Association, it’s really an unjust comparison, simply because they are different economic models.” (Zavian). Although women usually receive less money than men there are those few colleges that spoil their women coaches. One of the highest institutions with the highest women coaches’ salary is California State University in Fullerton, it’s a Division III school and they pay their women head coaches an average of $64,635 (Suggs). The University of San Francisco, another Division III college spends $97,983 on women’s recruiting, this is one of the universities with the highest share to women’s recruitment (Suggs). Georgia's average pay for its women's sports coaches is somewhat skewed by the large salaries of women's basketball coach Andy Landers ($165,190) and gymnastics coach Suzanne Yoculan ($135,000) (John Hollis). Georgia has nine men's teams and eleven women's. Georgia Tech has eight women's sports and nine men's. Georgia offers women's sports in golf, gymnastics, soccer and equestrian, while Georgia Tech does not. INSTITUTIONS WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE SALARIES FOR WOMEN'S HEAD COACHES Assistant coach Head coach Assistant coach Head coach U of Texas, Austin $47,575 $143,133 $81,963 $394,699 U of Tennessee, Knoxville $50,917 $133,515 $80,726 $294,347 U of Florida $45,632 $131,074 $85,051 $381,753 Texas Tech U $27,596 $89,563 $59,535 $151,261 U of Arkansas, Fayetteville $37,559 $80,889 $77,382 $103,719 U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign $29,406 $80,803 $54,465 $125,825 Vanderbilt U $29,777 $76,321 $65,829 $154,126 U of Wisconsin, Madison $33,291 $75,543 $58,599 $127,081 Rutgers U, New Brunswick $16,425 $74,204 $36,181 $85,834 U of Connecticut $28,742 $73,872 $42,194 $160,845 The second highest paid coach is at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Pat Summit makes 133,515$ as the head coach of the women’s basketball team. In 26 seasons at Tennessee, she has led teams to a 728-150 record (second active winningest coach in the NCAA) and 26 consecutive post-season berths (16 Final Fours and 11 title games). She has led UT to six NCAA titles (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998) and trails only UCLA's John Wooden for the most-ever NCAA titles. She also was Named Naismith Women's Coach of the Century. Yet, the head coach of the men’s team, Buzz Peterson has lead Tulsa to a NIT title, but has yet led Tennessee to an NCAA title, but makes about 170,00$ more than Pat Summit. Yet, Geno Auriemma, the head coach of the University of Connecticut, whose won numerous NCAA championships just makes 73,872$. Women’s salaries aren’t just short changed in the sports world, it also happens in the real world. In 1999, the weekly pay of American women with full time jobs was 76.5% of what men got, which is up from 61% in 1974 (Whalen). The U.S. Bureau of the census also pays women only 73 cents for every dollar men make, according to a study of 1999 wages. Statistics from the first quarter of 2001 indicate that full-time female workers age 55 to 64 make a median of $549 per week and men have a median earning of $743 per week (Whalen). The needs as far as income have changed for most women. Years ago the number of stay at home mothers out weighed the working ones. One-income families could survive the economy and single mothers were a low percentage of the population. Now it is unusual for both man and the woman of a family not to work. The need for a second income is important and depended on by the family. The rate of single mothers has risen dramatically, and because of this the world is beginning to open up their eyes to see the importance of the amount of their salaries given to women. In higher positions today in the work force salaries for women are more comparable of men but still are short changed. It could be because women came into the work and sports environment later than men, or it is an old view than a man is supposed to be the bread winner on and off the court. Whatever the reason times are changing slowly but in the right direction. With the cheers from the crowds and the dreams of young girls everywhere women’s sports are just getting started. Bibliography: Davis, Kristin, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, Dec. 97, Vol. 51 Issue 12. Equal footing: Women’s field of dreams, www.cnnsi.com Feminist Majority Foundation, http://www.feminist.org/research/sports.html Hollis, John, “Coaching pay gap remains for men's, women's sports”. Atlanta Journal Constitution, 1-24-02. Kaufman, Leslie and Gegax, Trent. “Prime Time Players”. Newsweek Feb. 10,1997. p. 68-9. Kleinman, Carol. “Earnings Gap is No Less Than Discrimination.”Chicago Tribune. Feb.19, 2002 Leland, John; Rosenberg, Debra. “Up in Air” Newsweek, 09/01/97. Vol. 130 Issue 9. P.56 NBA Salary Report, www.cnnsi.com Title IX Gender (In)Equity, An annotated bibliography, Joe McCullough, University of Dayton School of Law Gender and the Law Professor Randall, December 1,1997,http://www.udayton.edu/~gender/biblio/97mccul.htm#Ann-Gender%20Equity%20in University of Iowa Gender Equity in Sports Project. Welch, Suggs. “Uneven Progress for Women’s Sports”. Chronicle of Higher Education, April 7, 2000, vol. 46, Issue 31. Whalen, Charles. “Closing the Pay Gap”. Business Week, P. 38, August 21-28, 2000. Wollert, Lorraine. ,”For WNBA, It’s No Easy Layup.” Business Week, May 1,2000. P. 102-106 Women’s Professional Basketball Set To Go, http://www.now.org/nnt/11-96/wosports.html Women’s Basketball. Britannica Concise. Zavian, Ellen, “Men’s and Women’s Sports? No Comparison.” USA Today, Nov.22, 2000.

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