Why more men?

I'm not quite sure either why the ratio is low. But there sure are a lot of women in OTHER sports (soccer, tennis, volleyball, baseball). Did it just not "interest" a decade of women like these other sports? Is the swimming environment just too isolated? After all, even while swimming with others, it is less of a team situation and more of a one-on-one environment than some of the other sports excluding relays of course. Or, has there been a lapse in the grit it takes to succeed at swimming very well because a swimmer needs quality technique training and maybe some of those "pool-side" coaches weren't instilling the skills needed to perform well. Gosh, this could go on forever if you think about it. All I know is swimming was for me and still is and for a thousand reasons why. And watching an elite woman swimmer is mesmerizing. I have to drop the name of Laura Val here. Absolute awe watching this woman. Practically unbeatable in all events. Watching an elite woman swimmer just makes me shake my head in awe. (Guess I got off topic a tad !! ooops!) Donna I am just grateful to have found my niche and it's H20. Donna

Is it possible they are making excuses? I always tried to get my wife to get out and do things but Chuckie said no that the little ones, all six needed her.

I once read htat women begin swimming earlier intheir lives. They then stop swimming ealier also. I've never noticed that their are more men than women swimming in clubs. Frequently though it does seem to me that there are more women who just swim laps.

Fertility issues aren't unique to women who work.... Now, I did NOT say this either. I know many women who don't work and are in their 30s who are in this position as well. You seem intent on misquoting me. I certainly was NOT espousing the seemingly pervasive division of career versus family either (although I have heard it asserted on many occasions). I was speculating that perhaps there were not as many women competing in swimming in the 30-40 age groups because they were having children. Not that anyone cares, but that is certainly why I didn't compete. That and having to WORK at my PROFESSION. So as a working, swimming mother, I shouldn't be offending you all that much. You just like to pick on people or catch them being less than careful with their choice of words. Perhaps I was guilty of that, but not the other things you've accused me of. Oh yeah, your wife sounds amazing. I love to hear about women like that.

My wife is a Physician and we have three children. She swam in college(pre Title IX) and swam some Masters through Med School and residency(but not as obsessively as I.) When we had kids she stopped competing,but not swimming. Spending the time and mental energy to compete didn't seem a priority to her. Then she hurt her shoulder and started martial arts.She has lately started swimming in meets to "try it out".

Wow, can't believe I am going to type this, but... I believe that some women (not all, but let's say a statistically significant greater number of women than men) have an over-honed 'guilt' reflex. So unfortunately, there can be a guilty feeling when working out instead of working/spending time with spouse/spending time with kids/doing work around the house/etc etc etc. The guilt reflex rears its ugly head whenever the women tries to put herself first. Perhaps training aka working out can work around the guilt because it is important to keep your health to do all the other stuff, ie., it can be rationalized. But competition is definitely a me-me activity. ***I am not saying this is true for all women!!*** There, just wanted to emphasize that point again. I might be wayyyy off base here, who knows? But I have always noticed there are many more men than women at swim meets, although the number of men vs. women at practice is a lot closer to 50-50. For the record, I cannot work out unless I compete. There's gotta be a carrot, or at least fear of humiliation, on the other end of the workout. But if I was working full time (I'm not), I could see how I'd really have trouble dealing with the guilt of taking time away from the kidlet at night to go to practice.

Fortress, Sprintergirl, whoever: No one is arguing your personal commitment or abilities. This thread, started by you, posed a general question that numerous people have attempted to address. Those of us who posted in response were speaking in generalities that were so labeled. If you feel that changes need to be made, volunteer at the local level and find out how. Discover the big picture. I wish you a long, happy career in USMS.

Back to question originale... I wonder how large a role self-consciousness over one's appearance plays with both genders' decisions to swim. I have recruited several former swimmers back to the pool, but there are a few (in my case, all were female) who were very self-conscious about how they looked in a bathing suit and would not get back in the water. Funny, though, how these same ladies would complain about how chunky they were getting, and next thing you know, I hear them talk about how they were at the beach in their brand new 2-piece. Maybe it's just me... but that's neither here nor there... So what I am suggesting is that perhaps more women cave to the socially acceptable thought that a woman needs to look like those perfect hollywood starlets, and its ok for men to have some flab. And since most of us adults have some flab, perhaps thats why more men than women.

My "personal" experience is that stereotyping is a risky business and often flawed; Would that include stating that women with careers are too busy to have kids? Or, that they all must use fertility in their 40s to get pregnant?

Geek: Fine. I see it is pick on Fortress day. I didn't say that women with careers are too busy to have kids. You just misquoted me to be mean. I said that some women delay having kids while starting careers. Do you think this rather blandish statement is either controversial or stereotyping? Obviously many women - inluding freakin' myself -- do both. I was speculating that this was perhaps why we are missing some women masters swimmers in the 30-40 ages groups. Or perhaps it's just my demographic area, which I'm eminently more able to speak to than you are. I wasn't stereotyping about fertility drugs either. That is based on my own many conversations with women my age and younger on this topic over the last ten years. Have you have such conversations?