Title+IX

Equality in Athletics



 Title IX, also known as the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, prohibited discrimination based on sex for any federally funded program. The shortly phrased act was an article of the much larger Education Amendments of 1972, which was enacted by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972. The law’s purpose was to drive the women’s movement forward and create a more equal future for the struggling women in America. In its entirety, the law states, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal assistance." “Educational programs” consists of a variety of predetermined activities including academics, extracurricular activities, theater, band, and, most influentially, athletics. Title IX’s goal was to end sexual discrimination on all fronts in any educational environment. The passing of Title was generally viewed as a positive lift for women’s rights activists, but over the near forty years since its inception, the act has also had to deal with many criticisms.

Title IX has had a large impact on the success and the accomplishments of women in our world. Before Title IX, the role of women in society was to be a stay at home mother and raise children. After Title IX was passed, women gained opportunities for equality in education and athletics, and the number of degrees given out to women from undergraduate schools skyrocketed. Women became pioneers in the fields of science, humanities, and literature. Before, they were simple housewives, but after Title IX, the women could be anything they wanted, from a poet to an astronaut. Title IX was extremely successful in raising advancements since 1972 as seen in increases of medical degrees from 9% to 38%, law degrees from 7% to 43%; and doctoral degrees from 25% to 44%. The increases are apparent, but even though the gap for total equality is getter smaller, the goal has still not been reached. Participation in sports programs also grew significantly, and women’s professional sports teams became more popular. Title IX was a catalyst that played an important role in driving the feminist movement forward for equal rights, because it finally gave women the power to do what they wanted with their lives.

Title IX also caused a lot of controversy among universities and people who were attached to their old customs. Many people, even to this day, believe that women are straying from their true purpose in our world, raising a family. Universities had to comply with Title IX, and if they did not, they would not receive government funding. Although many institutions are not in compliance with Title IX, no government funding has been taken away to this day. As a result of the schools adapting to the law, many men’s teams were cut out and replaced with women’s teams. Many people argue that women’s sports should not receive the same funding and attention as men’s sports, because they do not create nearly as much revenue or support. Another problem with Title IX in today’s society is that women are not as interested in playing sports as men are for the most part. The rule states that a ratio of students to athletes needs to be equal for both sexes, and fewer girls sign up to play sports. In order to comply with the rule, prestigious universities such as Yale have been found to be padding their statistics. They claim that girls play in sports when they do not, and they even sometimes count men as women so that it appears that their ratios are in check. This has created dispute, and brought up the question if Title IX is even needed anymore.

Title IX was not specifically targeted to a single discipline, however the most impacted sector was by far athletics. Title IX gives women equal opportunities to play sports they are interested in, but does not mean that they play the same sports. Merit-based scholarships must also be proportional to the number of enrolled athletes. Title IX entitles women to the same benefits as men, such as equal equipment, practice and game time, coaching, locker rooms, medical facilities, recruitment, and other supporting provisions. 80% of universities that claim to follow Title IX do not comply with the rules. For instance, male athletes received $135 million more than female athletes in scholarships at the college level in 2002-2003. Many universities put more money into sports such as football and basketball because they produce more revenue and are more popular, which upsets many. Although Title IX does not state that men’s sports need to be cut, however in the process of raising the opportunities for women, the men’s sports are brought down.

There are three options that schools can choose in order to prove they are in compliance with Title IX. The first option is that they show they have the same ratio as students enrolled to athletes enrolled based on gender. The second option is that they show the institution is expanding the programs for the underrepresented gender. The third choice is that they show they have already set up the opportunities and interests for women. Female high-school sports participation increased from 294,015 to 2,472,043 in just 26 years after Title IX. College sports participation has tripled in this time. Title IX has played a significant role in giving women equality in America, and without it, we would most likely be in the same place we were in the 1960s.