Title IX (1972)
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it"
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activities receiving Federal financial assistance.”
When President Nixon signed the Title IX Act on July 23, 1972, approximately 31,000 women were already involved in college sports, spending on athletic scholarships for women was less than $100,000, and the average number of women's teams at a college was 2 to every 1 male sports team.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects all people from discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities where Federal financial aid is given. Title IX covers state and local agencies that receive Department of Education funds. Those agencies include approximately 16,000 local school districts, 3,200 colleges and universities, and 5,000 profit schools as well as libraries and museums. Also included are vocational rehabilitation agencies and education agencies in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and United States' territories. Programs and activities that receive Department of Education funds must perform nondiscriminatory actions. Programs and activities may include, but are not limited to, admissions, recruitment, financial aid, academic programs, student treatment and services, counseling and guidance, discipline, classroom assignment, grading, vocational education, recreation, physical education, athletics, and housing and employment.
Female athletes have created the most controversy surrounding Title IX. However, female advances in academics as well as athletics are noteworthy in proving that women can be considered equal on and off the playing grounds. Before Title IX, many schools refused to admit women. Here are some statistics highlighting advancements:
1994 - women received 38% of medical degrees 1972 - 9%1994 - women earned 43% of law degrees 1972 - 7%
1994 - 44% of all doctoral degrees to U.S. citizens went to women 1977 - 25%
Title IX also governs the overall equality in the treatment and opportunity in athletics while at the same time giving schools flexibility in choosing which sports to participate in based on student interest, geographic location, a school's financial budget, and gender ratio. It is not a matter of women being able to participate in a particular activity, or even that the exact same amount of money is spent on both women's and men's teams. The focus is on the idea that women have equal opportunities as men, on every level.