Resource Allocation and Gender Equity in Intercollegiate Esports

<p>The growth of esports has led to the rapid development of intercollegiate esports programs in the United States. This study explored the connection between resources allocated to intercollegiate esports programs and gender equity. Gender equity is a known issue in the esports community at all levels, including intercollegiate competitions. For higher education institutions, it is important to understand and address gender equity issues because colleges and universities must be able to prove compliance with Title IX, the federal requirement that individuals have equal access and opportunities to participate in activities, including sports, and are not discriminated against based on their gender. This study utilized an exploratory, descriptive survey to collect cross-sectional data from forty-nine higher education institutions. An analysis of these resource allocation and gender equity data revealed common themes among institutions that recruited women to participate in their teams. Using the analytic tool of pattern matching, the study then compared these findings to a literature-derived best-practice model of resource allocation and to Title IX’s Three-Part Test for gender equity. The former comparison identified opportunities for universities to further promote gender equity in esports via changes in resource allocation. The latter comparison indicated how institutions may risk noncompliance with Title IX. In short, the study illustrated how lack of institutional governance, data transparency, and efforts to provide multiple paths to participate in intercollegiate esports make colleges and universities vulnerable to noncompliance with Title IX. It further illustrated how compliance with Title IX may be enhanced by utilizing different patterns of resource allocation.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Education, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Educational Studies

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Takemoto, Stephanie Keiko

Contributors dc:contributor

• DeLacy Ganley
• Thomas Luschei

• esports
• intercollegiate esports
• Education
• Higher Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/972

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1994