February 5 is National Girls and Women in Sports Day
National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) began in 1987 as a special day in our nation’s capital to recognize women’s sports. The day united premiere organizations and elite female athletes to bring national attention to the promise of girls and women in sports.
February 5, 2020, marks the 34th Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). This celebration inspires girls and women to play and be active, to realize their full power. The confidence, strength and character gained through sports participation are the very tools girls and women need to become strong leaders in sports and life.
A vibrant movement we celebrate annually, NGWSD honors the achievements of female athletes, coaches and leaders and continues to Lead Her Forward by acknowledging the power of sports to unlock her limitless potential.
Source: Women's Sports Foundation
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HHS and Federal Public Health News
HEADS UP to School Sports: Athletes
To help ensure the health and safety of young athletes, CDC developed the HEADS UP Concussion in Youth Sports initiative to offer information about concussions to coaches, parents, and athletes involved in youth sports. The HEADS UP initiative provides important information on preventing, recognizing, and responding to a concussion.
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Sports Safety and Key Prevention Tips
 Taking part in sports and recreation activities is an important part of a healthy, physically active lifestyle for kids. But injuries can, and do, occur. More than 2.6 million children 0-19 years old are treated in the emergency department each year for sports and recreation-related injuries. Thankfully, there are steps that parents can take to help make sure kids stay safe on the field, the court, or wherever they play or participate in sports and recreation activities. Key Prevention TipsGear up. When children are active in sports and recreation, make sure they use the right protective gear for their activity, such as helmets, wrist guards, knee or elbow pads. Use the right stuff. Be sure that sports protective equipment is in good condition, fits appropriately and is worn correctly all the time—for example, avoid missing or broken buckles or compressed or worn padding. Poorly fitting equipment may be uncomfortable and may not offer the best protection. Get an action plan in place. Be sure your child’s sports program or school has an action plan that includes information on how to teach athletes ways to lower their chances of getting a concussion and other injuries. Get more concussion safety tips. Pay attention to temperature. Allow time for child athletes to gradually adjust to hot or humid environments to prevent heat-related injuries or illness. Parents and coaches should pay close attention to make sure that players are hydrated and appropriately dressed. Be a good model. Communicate positive safety messages and serve as a model of safe behavior, including wearing a helmet and following the rules. Learn More |
Title IX and High School Sports: Facts and Findings
Did you know that Title IX applies to high school sports, as well as college sports?
Title IX’s complexities make it a program that is not very well understood. So, in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (February 6), today’s WatchBlog answers some common questions about Title IX in the context of high school sports and looks at some of our recent work on this topic.
Q: What is Title IX, anyway?
A: Passed in 1972, Title IX is a law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education programs or activities that receive federal funds—including those at public high schools.
Q: Does Title IX require schools to have equal numbers of sports teams for girls and boys?
A: Not exactly. Title IX regulations require schools to offer equal participation opportunities for girls and boys. This does not necessarily mean the same number of teams, since team sizes can vary. One way a school can demonstrate equal participation opportunities is to think about participation in the context of enrollment—that is, if half of a school’s students are girls, then girls would also make up about half of sports participants.
Q: So, how are schools doing by that measure?
A: We looked at the Department of Education’s (Education) data for school year 2013-14 (the most recent available when we did this work), and found that girls made up 49% of students at public high schools that offer sports and 43% of sports participants at those schools.
Q: I’ve also heard that Title IX requires schools to spend the same amount on girls’ and boys’ teams. Is that true?
A: It’s complicated. Title IX requires equal treatment—in terms of things ranging from equipment and uniforms to coaching and travel opportunities—across all girls’ and boys’ teams, not necessarily spending.
Q: OK, but what about athletic booster club spending?
A: Booster club spending counts, too. Schools can’t accept funds or other contributions that create disparities between girls and boys.
Q: What are public high schools doing to ensure equal treatment?
A: We surveyed public high school athletics administrators and most of them said that, in the last 2 years, their school assessed some aspect of their treatment of girls’ and boys’ teams to encourage equity (most commonly, uniforms and facilities). Additionally, about 40% of schools surveyed students’ interests in different sports—for example, to see if they could add a sport in which girls were more interested. About 25% made changes based on requests from the sex with lower participation.
Q: Were schools that didn’t take steps to provide equal opportunities noncompliant with Title IX?
A: Not necessarily. When Education investigates Title IX complaints, it considers many elements of equal opportunity as well as the specific circumstances of the school.
Q: Who can help make sure schools are meeting Title IX requirements?
A: Education requires all public school districts to have a Title IX coordinator and says in its guidance that this person should work closely with (among others) the athletics administrators. But about 51% of athletics administrators said they were either unaware of, or unsupported by, their Title IX coordinator. Since Education has already put out guidance to Title IX coordinators, we recommended that it examine coordinators’ awareness and use of the guidance, and use that information to strengthen future work encouraging coordinators to work with athletics administrators.
To find out more about our work on Title IX and high school sports, check out GAO-17-754R and GAO-18-425
Other Public Health News
Why More Women Coaches are Needed
74%
In research released by the EY Women Athletes Business Network and espnW, 74% of women executives surveyed say that a sport background can help accelerate a woman’s leadership and career potential. Having positive female coaches as leaders and role models allows young girls to say “If I can see her, I can be her!”
42.1%
Female head coaches comprise 42.1% of head coaches of women’s collegiate teams at NCAA Division I institutions. (That means approximately 6 out of 10 women’s teams are coached by men!)
14%
Minority women make up less than 14% of head coaches of collegiate women’s teams.
Source: wecoachsports.org
Coaching Through a Gender Lens
Maximizing Girls' Play and Potential
A breakthrough study that examines the intersection of girls’ sports development with their “current day” experiences and the impact of coaches, through the voices of girls, their parents, and experts in girls’ development and sports.
In partnership with Nike’s Social & Community Impact division, Coaching through a Gender Lens examines girls’ own personal experiences in sport and the degree to which specific coaching practices/experiences impact their participation, motivation, and retention. The findings also highlight the major cultural, environmental, and policy-based barriers that contribute to the gender gap in sport, and the ways in which youth sports organizations serving girls can successfully meet their needs and foster their continued engagement in sport.
Coaching through a Gender Lens Executive Summary.
Power of Parents Research Brief
Coaching Through a Gender Lens Official Press Release here.
Download the Infographic and Key Findings Illustration here.
Power of Parents Research Brief
Coaching Through a Gender Lens Official Press Release here.
Download the Infographic and Key Findings Illustration here.
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