interested guy wrote:
Two things, Nutty Prof.:
1) I'd be really interested to hear why you think the gender gap has disappeared in swimming and not running
2) To steer this conversation in a constructive direction: Let's say, for argument's sake, that you're right: more men put in the work to become great runners because they are more motivated to seek the status/power/honors associated with being a highly competitive runner. Is there any way to CHANGE the incentives so that more females would be motivated to strive to put in the work to become great runners? To put it another way, what sort of factors are WOMEN disproportionately motivated to strive for? And would these changes have to happen at a societal level, or would it be possible for a coach to "create" a microcosm where women are motivated to train as hard as men are (for example, the way Bill Aris has cultivated a strong culture of hard work and dedication among his high school team's girls)?
Thanks for spending the time wading through all the comments here on LRC.
A few thoughts on swimming vs. running (and most other sports)
Many top male (and female) runners begin their careers in high school when they realize that they are unexeceptional in other sports (e.g, soccer) but have running talent; even if running isn't a "cool" sport at their high school or in their region, they (esp. teen boys) will do whatever it takes to be be exceptional at something (computer programming, comic books, running, chess); this "switching to find a niche" doesn't happen much in swimming because nobody knows if they are good at swimming until they have had substantial training; talent simply isn't obvious as it is in running.
Swimming differs from many other sports because coaching is required for success. Great soccer and basketball players, for instance, practice and play pick-up games on their own. Swimming lies at the opposite end of the spectrum. Following rules/coaching from a young age is required, as is parental support and pressure. In many respects the discipline and structure is similar to what one needs in school, where girls also generally outwork and outperform boys.
The financial incentives play a big role in some children's pursuit of sports, especially costly sports like swimming. And the swimming incentives are greater for girls (and their parents) than boys because there are 40-50% more scholarships available for them in the U.S. (Note, however, that the financial aid gap is about the same for running, though.)
I suspect/predict that in masters athletes, more male swimmers are motivated to keep performing at a high level even once resources (e.g. scholarships) are no longer relevant. I checked this a few years ago and I vaguely recall that this was true, that males were more bunched together, the signature of greater performance depth. This would be an interesting study to do formally. If someone wants to lead it, I'd be glad to assist.
The second question, about how to make more women motivated, is a very important one. I haven't given it much thought, but I would suggest that the more you make running similar to swimming and school (highly structured coaching environment with high expectations), the more women will respond. But let's not forget that our society's much larger problem is a lack of children being motivated to perform in a highly dedicated way at school. The problem is obviously greater for males and for children of low SES. One reason that I (and many people interested in educational achievement) focus on sports is that it is one domain where boys generally do show greater motivation and persistence. So maybe it can teach us something important about how to reach them.