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Home > Title IX at 34

Title IX at 34


Title IX opened the door for female athletes, but 34 years later, much still needs to be done to level the playing field.


By Terri Lakowski


  • Every time she entered the ring, it was the same question over and over: “Will they compete against me this time, or as usual, will the opposing coaches pull their players from the wrestling match because they do not want their male athletes wrestling a girl?” While her middle school allows her to compete on the school's wrestling team, other teams in the conference prohibit its boys from wrestling her because they fear “inappropriate sexual contact.”

  • All he wanted was a place for his daughters to play. His daughters' college varsity softball team has no field of its own. They compete on the school's intramural athletic field, shared with all of the school's intramural teams. The field has open wood dugouts covered with a tin frame, no lights, no scoreboard and no easily accessible restrooms. Before each practice and game the players have to set up and remove the fence for the field. The father has been advocating for the past year that the school provide the softball team with a facility of the quality that they deserve. He thought he was making progress because the college president and athletic director promised him in January that the women would have a new facility. Just last week, the father received a call: his daughters had just been found in violation of a school housing policy that prohibits students from living off-campus. At least 25% of the students violate this policy, yet coincidentally, it is being enforced for the first time on these young women who stood up for their rights under federal law.

  • All she wanted was to succeed in her sport. As a freshman in high school, why would she question her track and field coach's request that she stay after practice for additional instruction? Then, he sexually assaulted her...

    As we celebrate the 34th birthday of Title IX on Friday, June 23, it is important to put this anniversary into perspective. Yes, since its passage in 1972, Title IX made possible significant advances for women and girls in sport. It opened the doors of opportunity for female athletes to compete. Before Title IX, only 1 in 27 girls participated in sports; today that number is 1 in 3. Participation for female athletes has risen 875 percent in high schools and 437 percent in colleges.

    Yet, despite this growth, women and girls continue to lag far behind boys and men in athletics. Girls comprise 49 percent of the high school population, but only receive 41.7 percent of all athletic participation opportunities. In college the gap is even greater: women comprise 57 percent of the college student population but receive only 43 percent of the college athletic opportunities. Besides fighting for access to athletic participation opportunities, female athletes continue to face barriers in sport, such as in the treatment and benefits they receive when they do compete.

    Why, 34 years after the passage of Title IX, do women and girls continue to face such discrimination?

    1. Enforcement
    The Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the agency in charge of enforcing Title IX and monitoring compliance, has not been vigilant in this effort. In the past 14 years, it has only conducted 166 investigations, none which resulted in a school losing federal funds for failing federal law. If the OCR is not vigilant in its role of enforcing Title IX, it places the onus on parents, coaches and student-athletes to ensure that their rights are not being violated. There are not many parents who can afford the expense of a lawsuit or who want their daughters to suffer retribution from principals and teachers if the institution is brought to court.

    2. Education
    Parents and female athletes are not knowledgeable of Title IX protections. For example, the Foundation just helped a high school volleyball player obtain new uniforms for her team by raising a Title IX compliance issue. She had originally contacted the Foundation for fundraising assistance because she thought it was the responsibility of the volleyball players, not the school, to find the money for new uniforms (even though the school provided uniforms for the men's teams). In 2003, the OCR committed to launching a national education campaign on Title IX, yet it has failed to do so. Without being fully educated on Title IX, it is nearly impossible for individuals to recognize if their rights are being violated and to challenge the infraction. When schools are in violation of Title IX, they are not about to educate parents and students about what the law requires.

    3. Governmental Challenges
    Instead of strengthening the enforcement and application of Title IX, the government continues to attempt to weaken the law. The most recent example is the Department of Education's “Clarification” of Title IX, released in March of 2005, which allows schools to evade their obligation to increase participation opportunities for women by simply administering an e-mail survey to its students.

    What Can You Do?
    It is important to recognize the progress Title IX has made for women and girls and sport, but it's also important to understand the obstacles and barriers that still remain. Celebrate Title IX's birthday by taking action continue the advancement of progress under Title IX. Here's how you can help:

    1. Become Educated: Protect your rights and the rights of women and girls in your life by becoming an “expert” in Title IX. Read and ask your representative to urge the Department of Education to withdraw the “Clarification” and keep Title IX strong.
    2. Spread the Word: Share your knowledge with friends, colleagues and family and encourage them to join our Team For Equality.