Equal Pay on the Hardwood: The Earnings Gap Between Male and Female NCAA Division I Basketball Coaches

Abstract

This article examines the earnings gap between male and female National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) head basketball coaches. Within women’s basketball, female head coaches earn base salaries 9% higher than males. Estimates from a human capital earnings model suggest that differences in job performance and institution-specific gender segregation explain this earnings gap. The base salaries of women’s head basketball coaches of both sexes are also compared to those of men’s head basketball coaches. Women’s head coaches of either gender earn about 50% of the base salary of the average men’s head coach. The earnings differential between women’s and men’s basketball coaches is attributable to occupation and not the coach’s gender, thus prestige from men’s sports, customer discrimination, and the preferences of athletic directors may explain this gap.

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