Title IX Intro & Athletics

Title IX

Title IX*  is the law that the Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools works to promote in our fight for social justice. CGES focuses specifically on Title IX’s prohibition of  sexual harassment and sex discrimination.

However, these areas of concern are not the only ones covered by Title IX. They are also not the only areas that impact the young people we work with and care about. The Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools is passionate about working towards the full realization of Title IX in  schools.

The text of Title IX reads:

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.

While the text is short, the implications are vast. Title IX impacts ten key areas of gender equity in federally funded educational settings: Access to Higher Ed, Athletics, Career Education, Education for Pregnant and Parenting Students, Employment, Learning Environment, Math and Science, Sexual Harassment, Standardized Testing and Technology.

(*Originally named Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act after the Congresswoman who authored it. Mink, a Democratic representative from Hawaii was also the first woman of color and first Asian American elected to Congress.)

Title IX & Athletics

Due to the way that it has been represented in the media, many people think that Title IX’s only implications are connected to the funding of high school and college athletics. While sports are not the sole focus of the law, there is no denying that athletics is one area in which Title IX has had a profound impact on the access women have to teams, equipment, facilities, etc.

Two recent news stories have highlighted the dire need for more stringent applications of Title IX in sports:

1) After learning she was pregnant, a teenage Volleyball player in Ft Worth, Texas wanted to continue playing on her school’s Volleyball team. The school district required her to get a doctors note to continue to be on the team. However, when she was allowed to play again, the coach dramatically reduced her court time despite the letter of support from her doctor.

2) Title IX combines with other nondiscrimination laws to prevent retaliation. In the second story, a women’s basketball coach was fired after she complained about the gender inequities in sports at her school. She was awarded one year’s salary for wrongful termination.

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