“You Have a Right to Nonsexist Education”: How Title IX Changed the World

Title IX states 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 educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (Sadker, Myra, and Elsa, 5).

In 1972, Title IX was established to provide everyone with equal access to any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, including sports. This means that public schools and universities, which are federally funded institutions, are legally required to provide equitable sport opportunities to girls and boys. This is why these institutions now have the same number of women’s sports as there are men’s sports.

To highlight the importance of this law for women in sports, let’s look at some numbers. Before Title IX, one in 27 girls played sports. As of 2016, two in five play. Today, woman after woman is breaking barriers and shattering records across a multitude of sports in a multitude of arenas (“Title IX and the Rise of Female Athletes in America”). The US National Women’s Soccer Team (USNWST), in particular, has won back-to-back World Cups. The progression to this point began with Title IX.

Since the passage of Title IX, there has been a steady increase in the participation of American women at the Olympics; in the 2016 Olympics, hundreds of girls were present and made history, benefiting from this law. Since the 1972 Winter Olympics to the 2016 Winter Olympics, 26 competitions have been added for women to participate in (“Title IX and the Rise of Female Athletes in America”).

Former Women’s Sport Foundation CEO Donna Lopiano attests to the change Title IX generated for the United States: “We give more opportunity to women in this country, and it’s not even close. You are seeing the effects of that in these Olympics” (“Title IX and the Rise of Female Athletes in America”).

It is important to note that in terms of the quality of participation of these women, it is not enough for there to be equal opportunity to participate in a sports program if “participate” means just going through the motions. Women should have equal opportunity to receive the benefits of the program through interested participation. Title IX opened the door for women who want these benefits to receive them (McDonagh and Papano, 24). The passage to the left from Sports Illustrated notes the serious discrimination women faced in 1973 if they wanted to participate in competitive sports (Postow, 287).

Organized sports are extremely valuable to society. Sports are intimately linked to our national cultural identity and embraced as the physical manifestation of American prowess and power. They allow for an individual to have a sense of individualism, of feeling like they belong to a group in a unique way. Sports hold a special place in American culture and are seen as an important tool for bettering individuals and society (McDonagh and Papano, 26). The central role that sports have played in America tell us something about why Title IX was so important: it exponentially increased the opportunity for women to enter this secular space of society and feel like they belong with the men. In American culture, sports matter.

Overall, Title IX’s impact on women’s sports is profound. The law allowed for increased funding and institutional opportunities for females in sports. Since 1972 to now, there has been a 545% increase in the percentage of women playing college sports, and a 990% increase in the percentage of women playing high school sports (“Title IX and the Rise of Female Athletes in America”).

During the 1970s, The Guide to Title IX handbook (the cover is seen to the left) served as a “public service announcement” to readers to remind them that everyone, particularly women, “have a right to nonsexist education” (Sadker, Myra, and Elsa, 4). Created in 1974, the guide goes through all the aspects of Title IX and informs women on their rights under the new law. Hoping to reduce discrimination against women and to enforce the law in a more direct manner, the handbook goes through what it means to have a nonsexist education, what it means to not have discrimination in sports, and encourages young women to stick up for their new rights. A revolutionary law that changed the educational and sporting lives of young women, this guide helped to increase awareness of the law and promote young women to join sports.

All in all, the impact of Title IX was immeasurable for women. It opened doors for them that most thought closed prior to 1972, and more and more women are taking advantage of this opportunity to play sports every day. Sports have helped women in almost every facet of life, from creating leaders on the field and translating these gains to other aspects of life. This is seen in the photo to the right, where a girl from 1978 exclaims how sports have impacted the rest of her life. And the relationships these women are able to develop through sports are ones they will carry with them for the rest of their life. As 1976 Olympic gold medalist Ann Henning has said, “I owe a lot to sports. If I didn’t get into athletics, I have this feeling, I don’t know why… that I wouldn’t be too neat a person…. I know there things I can have and be, which I never would have realized if I hadn’t gone into athletics” (Postow, 149).

Sources:

McDonagh, Eileen, and Laura Pappano. Playing with the Boys: Why Separate Is Not Equal in Sports. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Postow, Betsy C. Women, Philosophy, and Sport: a Collection of New Essays. Scarecrow, 1983. 

“Title IX and the Rise of Female Athletes in America.” Women’s Sports Foundation, 11 Oct. 2019.

Sadker, Myra, and Elsa Bailey. A Student Guide to Title IX. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, 1976.