Title IX: An Outcast Analysis

Only forty percent of women know what Title IX means or enforces, according to a survey given to twenty women of the Veteran Affairs clinic of Danville, Illinois (Women of the VA). This survey shows that even though Title IX has been a successfully enforced law, not everyone has heard about it or understands how it has impacted their lives and futures. Therefore, people have to ask, “What exactly is Title IX?” Amanda Ross Edwards writes, “ Title IX states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (Edwards). This demonstrates how Title IX is a very important part of history, and has helped create and enforce equality among everyone, in all situations. Throughout history, the application of Title IX has helped improve the perception of women in many areas and has enabled women to be successful in their daily lives.

Human rights and fundamental freedoms are the birthright of all human beings. It is the government’s responsibility to protect these rights. The United Nations Human Rights Center helps regulate and provides information on human rights. However despite the UN’s effort somewhere there is a man or woman being denied of what should be their unquestionable rights. For many years certain rights did not exist in America for slightly under half of the American population. This group of people was made up of every woman living in the United States. In 1972 a law called Title IX was introduced and was crucial in the fight for woman’s rights. In the Universal Declaration of Human rights states in article two “Everyone is entitled to all the

Great inequalities in the educational system between the sexes have occurred for many years and still occur today. Efforts have been made to rectify this disparity, but the one that has made the most difference is Title IX. Passed in 1972, Title IX attempted to correct the gender discrimination in educational systems receiving public funding. The greatest correction it made was in the area of athletics, but social justice of Title IX applies to many other areas as well. Title IX has an effect on women who are not athletes in many ways, including quality of education, receptivity to education, empowerment and creation of ideals.

Imagine being a female athlete before 1972, you practice playing basketball everyday just like the boys do, but they have multiple scholarship opportunities to go to college where as females do not. They tell you to be a cheerleader or work in the kitchen and stay at home, but in your heart you are a competitor and have a passion for sports. This is a feeling that many females felt before Title IX; was explicated to give female’s gender equality in sports. Title IX has positively affected women’s sports over the years, but can negatively impact men’s teams, especially within the collegiate field. Title IX has changed budgeting and participation numbers between males and females, while opening up several opportunities for women. I am going to inform you how Title IX affects females and males in collegiate and high school sports, the history about Title IX, facts and statistics, how it has positively changed the way women participate in sports, and what it has to do with race and minorities.

It is also important to examine the impacts of Title IX on racial diversity as well, not only gender diversity. In 1972, it was reported that 30% of white girls and women were playing sports which increased to 40% after the passage of Title IX (Picket et. all, 2012). Participation levels among black women have actually decreased from 35% in 1972 to only 27% in 2002 (Picket et. all, 2012). This leads to the conclusion that in 1972 Black women played more sports then their White counterparts, and since that time White women have begun to participate in more sports and this progression is continuing (Picket et. all, 2012). As Title IX continues to alter the ratio of males to females, society will continue to change. This change will not only be observed in sports but also in education and the workplaces, as organizations strive to create equality between the genders. Although sometimes difficult, change is often required to continue to develop sports and push athletic organizations and athletes to the highest level they can achieve.

TITLE VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 law was what many civil rights activists had been lobbying for over many years. Title VI was made to end segregation and discrimination on the basis of color, gender, and nationality for employment. However, education was not included in TITLE VI, which caused Dr. Bernice R. Sandler, a senior scholar at the Women’s Research and Education Institute in Washington, DC, to still have to fight for her job at the University of Maryland. Dr.

But women's rights groups fought back. Four years later, over Reagan's veto, Congress passed the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988. This act nullified the effects of the Grove City v. Bell ruling by outlawing sex discrimination throughout an entire educational institution if any part of the institution received federal funding. In addition to the Act, the OCR publicly renewed its commitment to ending gender discrimination, calling Title IX a "top priority," and publishing a "Title IX Athletic Investigator's Manual" to strengthen enforcement procedures.

Title IX was a law signed in to make sure than no one is excluded based on gender. When the law was signed in, the numbers showed that it helped get women more involved in sports. However, with more women involved in sports, men are still the favored gender and women are discriminated against. Women are discriminated against in sports shown by fewer opportunities in high school and college level sports, unequal treatment of women college athletes, and unfair opportunities and treatment to women coaches.

Title IX is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity (2015). Title IX covers 10 key areas including: education, athletics, careers, employment, learning environments, technology, sexual harassment, testing, Math and Science, and education for pregnant and parenting students (2016). The law was passed in 1972 (2016). One of the most striking figures of the Title IX movement was Billie Jean King. King was a renowned tennis player and huge advocate for gender equality (2013). Despite having to endure both private and public battles, she never gave up on fighting for what she believed in (2013). Although King is often seen as someone who fought for women’s right she continually points out that she was fighting for “equal opportunity for both boys and girls” (2013). Title IX mainly focuses on helping women and young girls gain gender equality in common places but it can affect men

In 1972 Congress passed the Educational Amendments. One section of this law, Title IX prohibits discrimination against girls and women in federally funded education, including in athletic programs. Since its arrival, in regards to athletics, there have been arguments for and against the many aspects pertaining to this law. Title IX has had a large impact on high school and college athletics in the attempt to give females an equal opportunity, but the means by which they are achieving this goal is an ongoing debate.

The idea of equity in society particularly in athletics has been a major topic in athletics for many years. However, in spite of the long and storied history of the fight for equity in athletics we still see a lot of misunderstanding especially involving one particular law. This law is Title IX which has a number of awful misconceptions associated with it even from female athletes themselves. One misconception that is very popular especially among the critics of Title IX is the idea that “Title IX exists to force to schools to drop men’s sport’s”(Kane, pg. 3). This is something that was reinforced by an report authored by Dr. Mary Jo Kane who is a Professor at the University of Minnesota regarding the 40th anniversary of Title IX. Dr. Kane indicated that she opens her sport sociology class discussions on Title IX by asking her class what they know about this subject. Dr. Kane indicated in her report that Title IX “remains a mystery to the vast majority of her students, both male and female” (Kane, pg. 3). Dr. Kane goes on to point out the misconception mentioned above is commonly said by her students including her female D1 scholarship athletes who are the ones that have benefitted most from this law. Overall Title IX is a great law even if it is a law that takes a lot of bad press although this is largely due to the actions or in some cases lack thereof from the leaders who reside in college athletics.

“Title IX is important most of all because every person should have an opportunity to succeed regardless of their gender,” Peterson said. “I think that there are problems with regard to the amount of students who experience sexual assault and sexual misconduct on college campuses and I think the data speaks for itself as a whole when you look across the United States… It is very important to educate everyone in the campus community about their rights in regards to Title IX but it also important that everyone knows so bystanders can protect people as

Gender has always been a starting point for much of the judgement in our society whether we realize it or not, and it’s exactly the causes of one of the many controversies that there is today. Title IX, the law passed to help overcome prejudice and grant girls the same opportunities as boys, is getting not only the credit it deserves but much backlash to counter it. The main purpose of this law was originally to give girls the opportunity to play the same sports as boys were able to, and thanks to the law girls are now given these opportunities to play sports in addition to also give many transgender students more rights within the schools than ever before. Even with all these steps forward in society, there are still those who believe

There is a connection between the Title IX law and improvements in key areas such as access to higher education, career education, employment, learning environment, math and science, sexual harassment, standardized testing, and treatment of pregnant and parenting teens. (Women’s Equity Resource Center, 2003) How in the world does that relate to me you ask? Well, before this law many schools and universities had separate entrances for male and female students. Honestly, did it really matter what door you came in? Apparently, it did. I can see them having a problem with males and females being in the same dormitories, for obvious reasons, but not letting a man and woman walk in the same door to get to a classroom? That’s a little ridiculous if you ask me. I know I could have never lived happily in the past generations, because I have had the freedom of being my own self and having the freedoms of every other race, gender, and social status for the most part. The effect Title IX has played in my life comes in some major issues, as well as simple things such as being allowed to walk through the same door as the man in front of me.

This past June marked the 40th anniversary of Title IX, a United States law stating that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Although the wide spectrum in which Title IX covers includes many educational issues, its application to NCAA athletics has especially been confounded, because, unlike most educational institutions, athletic programs are gender-segregated by sport. In terms of intercollegiate athletics, Title IX essentially states that that all academic institutes of higher education are