Some parents wonder about whether high school athletics serve any long-term purpose. Apparently, for high school girls they do. According to a recent study cited in the NYT’s by columnist Tara Parker-Pope, women who competed in high school sports, did better later in life in terms of health, education, and economics than girls who didn’t compete.
“Just six years after the enactment of Title IX (the law mandating that schools that receive federal money are required to have athletic programs for girls), the percentage of girls playing team sports had jumped sixfold, to 25 percent from about 4 percent.” One of the researchers, economist Betsey Stevenson “found that the changes set in motion by Title IX explained about 20 percent of the increase in women’s education and about 40 percent of the rise in employment for 25-to-34-year-old women.”
Why would this be the case?
I suspect it has to do with women’s persistent socialization toward being sensitive to other’s feelings and needs. In the past, women who stepped outside of that boundary were viewed as being tomboyish, aggressive, or “not very ladylike.” This appears to be changing. These days, women who are still heavily influenced by this belief system are hampered later down the line when they have to compete for educational or career advancement. Young women who are able to see that competition, aggressiveness, and leadership are not only tolerable, but experiences to be enjoyed are better equipped to advocate for themselves not only in athletics, but in other important parts of their lives as well.
Girls’ Sports Matter
Some parents wonder about whether high school athletics serve any long-term purpose. Apparently, for high school girls they do. According to a recent study cited in the NYT’s by columnist Tara Parker-Pope, women who competed in high school sports, did better later in life in terms of health, education, and economics than girls who didn’t compete.
“Just six years after the enactment of Title IX (the law mandating that schools that receive federal money are required to have athletic programs for girls), the percentage of girls playing team sports had jumped sixfold, to 25 percent from about 4 percent.” One of the researchers, economist Betsey Stevenson “found that the changes set in motion by Title IX explained about 20 percent of the increase in women’s education and about 40 percent of the rise in employment for 25-to-34-year-old women.”
Why would this be the case?
I suspect it has to do with women’s persistent socialization toward being sensitive to other’s feelings and needs. In the past, women who stepped outside of that boundary were viewed as being tomboyish, aggressive, or “not very ladylike.” This appears to be changing. These days, women who are still heavily influenced by this belief system are hampered later down the line when they have to compete for educational or career advancement. Young women who are able to see that competition, aggressiveness, and leadership are not only tolerable, but experiences to be enjoyed are better equipped to advocate for themselves not only in athletics, but in other important parts of their lives as well.