The Rise of Female Athletic Trainers

Athletic Training began as an all-male profession, with no female members in the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) until more than twenty years after its inception in 1950.  Fast forward to today, and there are more women in the athletic training profession than men.  What changed?  How did the field evolve?  Who were the women trailblazers in the field?  What challenges do female athletic trainers still face?  Join us to answer these questions and others on our deep dive into women in athletic training.

The Rise of Female Athletic Trainers

When President Nixon signed Title IX into existence in 1972, all educational institutions in the United States were required to not discriminate between male and female athletes when it came to accessing sports facilities, training centers, equipment, and other support.  It is hard to overstate this law’s impact.  Prior to Title IX, the choices for female athletes were limited.  There were fewer teams to join, especially in smaller schools and communities.  Widening opportunities for women in sport meant that women had the opportunity to become interested in careers around athletics, such as athletic training.  In 1972, the year Title IX passed, Sherry Bagagian became the first NATA certified athletic trainer, followed closely by Gail Weldon.  Weldon became an icon in athletic training, with a wide array of accomplishments.  Today, the NATA annual awards the Gail Weldon award of Excellence, which recognizes one AT each year who displays a “commitment to mentoring, professional development and life balancing for women athletic trainers or significant contributions to improve the health care of females provided by ATs.”  She was followed by many other iconic women, some of whom we’ll discuss below.

Bridging the Gender Gap

Unfortunately, women entering the athletic training arena was not seamless.  There have been gender stereotypes to overcome, and female athletic trainers report many of the same difficulties seen in other fields.  Let’s take a look at a few of these.

1. Coaching inequalities: Title IX had an interesting impact on coaching opportunities.  Before it’s passage, 90% of the coaches for women’s collegiate teams were women.  In 1990, less than half were women.  Why?  The passage of Title IX made women’s coaching more lucrative than before, and more men began to apply for those positions.  However, there has not been a shift in men’s sport coaching.  In 1972, 99% of men’s collegiate teams were coached by men.  The same is true today.

2. Leadership inequalities: Although women may make up the majority of athletic trainers (According to the NATA, 55% of its members are female), men still are disproportionately represented in leadership positions.  Studies have shown many factors can contribute to this, including organizational constraints as well as personal limitations.  The organizational constraints represent things like the subculture of a particular sport, gender discrimination, and gender role bias.  While personal limitations can include things like wanting to maintain a work-life balance or feeling a reluctance to lead, it is important to recognize the cultural underpinnings of these limitations as well.  Women are rarely provided the preparation and support to become leaders that are afforded to men.  Additionally, family burdens (such as childcare and housework) are still disproportionately placed on women, so work-life balance can be difficult to achieve in positions which may require travel and long hours.

3. Salary gap: It is no surprise that the athletic training profession has a salary gap that mirrors national statistics for all careers.  In athletic training, salaries for women are on average $8,700 per year less than those for their male counterparts. 

4. Retention: Women are more likely to burn out of athletic training and leave the field than men.  Although not much research has been completed on why women tend to leave the field, once can assume the inequalities listed above each play a role.

Inspiring female athletic trainers

As more women enter into athletic training leadership positions, it is important to look back at some of the trailblazers that helped chart a path for young women now entering the field. 

Ariko Iso: There are about 20 full-time female athletic trainers in the NFL, but Ariko Iso has the distinction of being the first.  She spent nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the early 2000’s, where she was part of two Super Bowl championships.

Julie Max: When Julie retired in 2017, she was one of only a few female head athletic trainers in Division I athletics.  In 2000 she was the first woman to serve as the president of NATA, serving two presidential terms.  She also entered NATA’s Hall of fame in 2007.

Marjorie Albohm: Marjorie was among the first female athletic trainers to receive certification.  Aside from her work in key medical positions in Olympic games and trials through the 1980s and 90s, Marjorie is a highly regarded lecturer, who speaks on a variety of topics related to athletic training and sports medicine.

How to empower women in athletic training

As we’ve discussed, there are many challenges that women have faced in athletic training, and some that they continue to face.  However, there are several steps that can be taken to help empower women in athletic training positions.  These include:

1. Mentorship opportunities for young women entering the field.

2. Addressing organization constraints such as “good old boys clubs” to make leadership positions more accessible to women.

3. Offering support for families, such as childcare or more flexible hours, if possible.

4. Providing opportunities for women to network, connect, and share resources.

Looking ahead: fostering diversity within athletic training

As more women move into athletic training, it is important to keep broadening our understanding of diversity and what it means in the athletic training profession.  While gender is significant, it is important for athletic trainers to consider many values of diversity, including race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic status.  It can be a slow-moving process to create a field that represents the full spectrum of humanity, as people may be discouraged from a profession that doesn’t seem to represent them.  However, greater diversity fosters greater understanding of patients from diverse backgrounds, and bridges to more impactful patient care.  The tips above on empowering women in athletic training could be used for many of the minorities found in athletic training, such as people of color, or people who identify as LGBTQ+.  Here at the University of Idaho, we model patient care to support multiple world views, perspectives, and practices.  Diversity strengthens our profession and improves the care of our patients.