The Perceptions of Division Ill Senior Woman Administrators on Sexual Discrimination in Intercollegiate Athletics

Abstract

This study examined the perceptions of Division Ill Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs) on three forms of sexual discrimination in intercollegiate athletic departments: (a) gender inequity and overt discrimination, (b) sexual harassment, and (c) artificial barriers in employment. The effect of sexual discrimination on the employment of women in the athletic profession was also examined. A Likert scale survey was sent to randomly selected SWAs at NCAA Division Ill member institutions. Descriptive statistics revealed that Division Ill SWAs do not perceive sexual discrimination to exist in a global form in intercollegiate athletics. However, a perception of sexual discrimination was found in the subgroups of overt discrimination and artificial barriers in employment. Globally, sexual discrimination was not perceived to have an effect on the decline of, and low percentage of females working in intercollegiate athletics.