Indiana State University (yes, I may be slightly biased to them! GO SYCAMORES!) publishes research presenting data on: Age, Sex, and Setting Factors and Labor Force in Athletic Training.
What does this information show??? Well, in a nut shell....we see tons and tons of females getting into the Athletic Training Profession...however, what we don't talk about is the number getting out! Out of 18,571 AT's 52.1% were male and 47.9% were females. So, initally what would you think?? Well, yes, you would think the woman are catching up to the men...however, here is what we see....
"National employment trends have indicated an increase in female representation in the workforce from 40% in 1975 to 46% in 2005, with a projection that 51% of the workforce will be female by 2014.....Athletic training has incurred similar growth patterns since women first became athletic trainers (ATs) in 1956, with women now representing 48% of the athletic training population. Currently, 97.7% of all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions employ ATs. However, a closer investigation of the ATs in the college or university, high school, and clinic populations reveals inequity. Less than one-third of NCAA in- stitutions have female head ATs. The populations of men and women appear comparable (22% of women and 23% of men are employed in the secondary school setting, 14% of women and 14% of men are employed in the college or university setting, and 22% of women and 23% of men are employed in the clinical setting." (btw I could absolutely do proper citing here; however, what fun would that be in a blog...I will provide the article information at the end of this segment!)
So, where is the major discrepancy...well, it seems everything is fair in love and war (i.e. woman and men) except for not many woman are head AT"s at a college...is this by choice or by sexism..YOU DECIDE..please leave me comments at the end of this blog!
Next thing about woman...."Female athletic trainers tended to leave the profession around age 28 years." Also, "Among female ATs, 45% stated that they changed job settings after having children. The changes were primarily from the college or university setting and might be based on multiple dy- namics, including irregular hours and flexibility of scheduling; regardless, these patterns mimic national data."
So, what does this suggest??? Well, even though we are increasing the number of female AT's coming in...we still cannot catch up to the male population because we have several females still leaving the profession, but can you blame them??? Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE advocate for Athletic Training, but sometimes I like to play the devils advocate!
I was once told by a doctor that I work with that you have to be a, "COMPLETE IDIOT to become a doctor...the hours...the years, the dedication...the stress...but at least I know my family is taken care of by the pay check I bring home...even if I'm not there all the time". Well, his phrase kind of rings home...the hours, the dedication, the stress, but the one thing we don't get is the pay. We cannot always say our families are well taken care of. After doing alot of research from salary surveys to my own personal surveys I am completely astonished at what some AT's are being offered. ...and I am not talking about a starter job that you know you will move out of because that is the realm of the job i.e. a "starter position" (even though those in themselves are a shame)...I am talking about good "experience needed" jobs. We are taking jobs that pay us peanuts, leaving some unable to pay off their bills and loans....unable to afford their car payments...or leaving them eating noddles 6 nights a week. WE as athletic trainers have to stand up for our profession. We tell our people to stand up for themselves and fight for their own salaries..and there is no doubt that this is needed...however, our profession needs to stand up for us too. We want so badly to care for our kids, but at what cost? There is no doubt an Athletic Trainer shoud be at every school...but at what cost??? So, that they can barely live a life and not be able to save money to take care of their family or even themselves years down the road. We cannot just think about the now, we MUST think about the future...the future of our profession including the FUTURE of OUR PROFESSIONALS.
So, this blog kind of points out a few things.....percentage of men vs woman in our profession, the fact that woman are leaving the profession ...and the question still remains to know exactly why...well, here is some more food for thought!!!! It's not just the hours....it's not just the stress.....because even doctors manage families with that....what about the pay????
Statistics a "quotes" come from the following research:
Age, Sex, and Setting Factors and Labor Force in Athletic Training
Leamor Kahanov, EdD, LAT, ATC; Lindsey E. Eberman, PhD, ATC
Department of Applied Science and Rehabilitation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute
2 comments:
I expected an athletic trainer salary to be pretty good. I'm surprised to hear AT's are struggling to get by on their wage.
As an athletic training student in high school, I was mentored by a woman who had never been married and to my knowledge had not dated in a while. She did not have children. Now that she is just over 50, she has began dating a man, but will never have kids. She put her life into her work and now she has realized there is more than just work.
Most local female ATs work in the high schools. Some of them are leaving their athletic training positions to only teach. Others are moving to be PTAs and work 8-5 hours.
When I went to college, I found that the females employed in the ATR were all single. The eldest in her mid-thirties also did not date or have a husband or children. She has recently moved to a physician extender position and out of the collegiate setting.
Other AT friends my age do not have children and some are beginning to get married (middle-late 20s). My non-AT friends are almost all married and have one child if not more at this time.
I think it is really sad, but being on a bus traveling for 53 away baseball games of the 57 scheduled(home games are over Easter weekend) is not condusive to a happy family life. This is the life my boyfriend who is an AT lives.
ATs should answer to physicians, not to coaches or ADs. The medical care model that Boston University has out of student health is much more family orientated.
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