Happy Birthday Title IX

“You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”   ― Brigham Young

Happy Birthday Title IX. Titel IX is celebrating it's 40th year. For those of you who forget what Title IX is or are too young to relize what groundbreaking this legislation was for it's time here is a quick recap:

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. (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972).

Title IX covers all levels and areas of education, including athletics, vocational/technical education and sex discriminatory behavior impacting students and employees. Although Title IX protections against sex discrimination are not as extensive and durable as we would receive from a Constitutional Equal Rights Amendment, Title IX has helped women and girls and men and boys benefit from more equitable treatment and attain more equitable outcomes. However, gender disparities based on traditional stereotypes and subtle but damaging discrimination persist. There is much that all of us can continue to do to improve public policies and practices to build on Title IX triumphs and to stop the backsliding including increased purposeful sex segregated education.  (See “The Triumphs of Title IX”, PDF).

According to The Triumphs of Title IX: soon after it was written into law, Title IX was subjected to relentless attack—and Mink became the law’s greatest defender. In 1984, the Supreme Court during
the Reagan administration succeeded in virtually overturning the law for four years—until feminists and civil rights leaders fought back with the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987. Most recently, the Bush administration weakened Title IX with new rules allowing public, sexsegregated classes and schools—which critics say almost always disadvantage girls—for purposes other than to remedy discrimination.

How has Title IX helped you today as a woman or young girl?

·         GIRLS’ PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT IN MATH AND SCIENCE HAVE INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.

·         DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GIRLS AND TEACHERS WHO BECOME PREGNANT HAS DECREASED.

·         ALL VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS AND CLASSES HAVE BEEN OPENED TO BOTH SEXES.

·         WOMEN EDUCATORS NOW EARN MORE, RANK HIGHER.

·         SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN SCHOOLS IS NOW CLEARLY ILLEGAL.

·         THE PSAT AND SAT HAVE BECOME LESS BIASED AGAINST GIRLS.

·         THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH WERE AMONG THE MOST CHILLY TOWARD WOMEN, SO TITLE IX HELPED USHER IN MORE WOMENFRIENDLY TEACHING PRACTICES.

·         TITLE IX  HAS HELPED WOMEN FIGHT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN ACADEMIA— SOMETHING FOR WHICH THERE WAS NO LANGUAGE IN 1970.

·         IN 1970, WOMEN EARNED ONLY 14 PERCENT, BUT TODAY EARN NEARLY HALF OF DOCTORAL DEGREES.

·       THE LAW’S IMPACT HAS BEEN ELEMENTAL. NOT ONLY HAS IT HELPED ELIMINATE BLATANT DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES, BUT IT HAS HELPED ROOT OUT SUBTLER METHODS OF HOLDING WOMEN BACK.