Women outnumbered men in varsity sports last year at UW-Madison for the first time.
University figures show 479, or 52.6 percent, of the 910 athletes during the fiscal year that ended June 30 were women, while 431, or 47.4 percent, were men.
These numbers come from countless efforts on the part of UW administration over the past decade to combat an imbalance pointed out to the U.S. Office of Civil Rights 10 years ago.
UW Associate Athletic Director Vince Sweeney said the athletic department has attempted to reach this balance, the requirement of which is outlined in Title IX, a 1972 law that prohibits sex discrimination in the administration of activities in institutions receiving federal aid, by adding more women’s sports and increasing the rosters of women’s teams.
“We got to this point by making adjustments over a five- to seven-year period,” Sweeney said. “We’re real pleased we got the numbers to where they are.”
Since the complaint was filed, UW has added women’s softball, women’s ice hockey and lightweight crew.
UW also put a program into force called “roster management.” In one example, UW increased the roster of the women’s tennis team from 8 to ten.
“We told each team what they needed to have on the roster,” Sweeney said. “That helped us manage the numbers even further.”
Since the complaint was filed, UW has been pushed by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights to increase the number of women in varsity sports. In the 1999-2000 academic year 49.8 percent of those involved in sports were women.
According to John Dowling, a UW lawyer, the school has not heard from the Office of Civil Rights since those numbers were sent in.
“Since we were subject to a complaint the Office of Civil Rights has been watching us,” Sweeney said. “It’s been an ongoing discussion. We argue that we’re certainly in compliance with the law and they have yet to stand up and say ‘You’re absolutely right.'”
Sweeney said the effort to recruit more women into varsity sports has not set the university back.
“We’ve done it without significant negative impact on our competitiveness,” Sweeney said.
The school spent $648,615 on recruiting last year, $419,764 directed toward men.
