The Advocacy Newsletter of ILRCSF

Title IX: 40 Years of Opportunities for Women and the Expansion of All Civil Rights Legislation

On June 23rd, 1972,  Title IX was signed into law guaranteeing women's rights within the work place and in regard to education. Title IX's key concerns ranged from "Access to Higher Education" and "Employment," to "Sexual Harassment" and "Technology." It is no exaggeration, then, to say that Title IX changed the face of America for women, forever. 

"I thought it was about women and sports."

Title IX is about a lot more than just sports. It was the first comprehensive federal law to prohibit sex discrimination against students and employees of educational institutions. The regulations implementing Title IX state:

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.

One of the most exciting aspects of Title IX is that it created a new way of conferring political power, because it mandated eligibility for funding be linked to inclusion. 

Title IX in Practice: A Tale of Two Ladies

Though civil rights successes may feel incremental, their effects can often be felt within the movement from one generation to the next. ILRCSF's Executive Director, Jessie Lorenz, admits, "I first got involved in sports because of Title IX. There were specific guidelines about participation of girls on sports teams that were directly related to it. One day, there was a school announcement that the track team needed one more girl to join in order to be able to keep offering track to boys! I hadn't been involved in organized sports, before, but I decided to give it a go. Being involved in sports opened up a whole new world to me. In many ways, it set the tone for how I would continue to pursue my interests, and not just the interests that the world thought I should pursue. If I hadn't been presented with that initial opportunity to join the track team - which came as a direct result of my school working to adhere to Title IX, mind you - I doubt I would have ended up becoming so involved in athletics, and I highly doubt I would have found myself at the Paralympics."  As a member of the U.S. Women's Goal Ball Team, Jessie won a gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

Having been born just a single generation after ILRCSF's Deputy Director, Diane Rovai, Jessie's experience stands in stark contrast to that of women who went to school before Title IX was passed. Diane remembers, "It was a different era when I was in school. Opportunities for girls were very limited. While boys had all sorts of choices, all we could take - outside of academics - was Home Economics...cooking or sewing: activities that were considered 'appropriate' for girls. It didn't matter that  many of us had interests outside of the kitchen or away from a sewing machine. But, I was an anomaly. I ended up attending one of the best and most academically rigorous high schools in the country, and eventually forged a career for myself in the corporate sector. For the most part, I did this without Title IX as a safety net, and it was an uphill battle, all the way. Few girls and women of my generation were able to overcome the systemic barriers put before them. I'm glad my daughter and granddaughter have Title IX. It's not an entitlement - it's about basic civil rights." 

The Impact of Title IX Has Been Nothing Less Than Dramatic 

As data available from the mid 90's makes clear, the number of high school girls participating in athletics increased from 300,000 in 1971, to 2.4 million in 1996. And the reach of Title IX can be felt beyond the world of sports. The percentage of women earning their first professional degree has also increased dramatically: 

Clearly, Title IX is a powerful example of civil rights legislation in action. While there's a still a long way to go when it comes to men and women getting equal treatment and compensation in the work place, there is, nevertheless, a much more level playing field than there was 40 years ago. Diane's experiences of academic and professional challenge as a lone woman among a sea of men, in many ways wouldn't likely be as stark for a woman in the corporate sector today. And while the opportunity to participate in organized sports was a new concept when it was presented to Jessie, it's commonplace for school girls, today. 

The Long View

ILRCSF has always argued that disability rights are civil rights, and that as such, each law builds upon the last, like a chain reaction, opening new roads to liberty. Title IX is the "mother," so to speak, of the 1973 Federal 504 Rehab Act that required organizations and educational institutions to be accessible to people with disabilities, which, in turn, "birthed" the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and extended access requirements to local governments and private businesses. 

Changes like these can feel impossibly slow at times. But taking a long view of history can help us recognize how deeply the struggle for disability rights is tied to all other civil rights battles. It can be powerful to remember that Title IX was absolutely foundational for securing the rights guaranteed by the ADA.  June 23rd will mark the 40th anniversary of Title IX and we hope that you'll join us in celebrating this civil rights milestone. 

Title IX Links

History of Title IX

A Brief History of Title IX

Title IX Wikipedia Article 

Title IX Fast Facts