>>13395341It's not really a dumb story. My grandparents and great grandparents weren't allowed in swimming pools, so they didn't learn to swim, things were still quite segregated when my parents were children, and while they learned to swim you can see why many in similar circumstances wouldn't.
This isn't the entire explanation, but it really does have a lot to do with it. After so many generations it is something hardly even considered by a lot of families. It could also be related to wealth somewhat. I know a lot of families that are better off have swimming pools at their homes, and they are more likely to enroll their children in extracurricular activities (including swimming lessons).
There are community swimming pools but in lower income areas those places aren't always suitable for use or safe.
I recall reading about differences (on average) of body composition or bone density, so maybe theres some biologial aspect to it as well.
