Title IX
In 1972, as part of the Educational Amendment Act that played a significant role in changing the landscape of education in America, Title IX was a huge step in advancing opportunities for women and athletics. Basically, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that states: "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.” If a school is receiving federal dollars for any programing, no person is to be discriminated against on the basis of their gender. The idea is that women should have equal footing when it comes to playing sports (and many other opportunities).
Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about the phenomenal success of the United States Women’s Soccer Team since the early 1990’s. That success is linked to the breakout of programs available to young girls all across America since the Educational Amendment Act of 1972 came into law and Title IX was enacted on this date, 47 years ago. To give you a little perspective, in 1972, 1 in 27 girls played a sport, in 2016, that number has jumped to 2 out of every 5 girls involved with sports. Barriers have been broken down across all male dominated sports at almost all levels. Women in the United States have had incredible success not only in international sports like soccer but also in ice hockey and basketball. Traditional male sports like football, baseball, wrestling, boxing are seeing more and more female athletes filling the ranks at the youth level. If you can play, then you can play…it doesn’t matter what gender you are…the love of athletic competition isn’t strictly for the boys but for everyone. Not everyone agrees with this philosophy and the playing field is certainly not a level one despite the best efforts of those who believe in fairness and equality. At the collegiate level, universities might have equal numbers of men and women’s teams in their athletic departments, but the flow of cash is certainly not distributed equally. Some sports are more expensive…football compared to field hockey…but even still, dollars are not always distributed fairly after considering all the circumstances. Like I wrote before about the U.S. Women’s National Team (soccer) compared to the men, the men get paid more on average despite the women’s team drawing more spectators.
Title IX has brought about great change for girls and women alike. The hope is that the changes seen on the field of play will also translate into changes in the real world where more and more women can be treated fairly and with equality in the work force and elsewhere. People tend to be afraid of change as it forces them out of their comfort zone…but change is good…change promotes growth, innovation and forward-looking developments. Title IX came under heavy criticism when it first came into effect, but the resulting changes have been for the overall good of athletics as a whole. We now live in a world where girls in this country can achieve a level of stardom in a variety of athletics that was once thought impossible before. The proof is in the pudding and all anyone must do is look at the number of young women participating at the secondary and post-secondary school levels. In 1972, less than 300,000 girls were involved in high school sports…in 2015, that number had jumped to over 3,500,000 girls engaged in high school athletics.
I have a fundamental belief…If I can lift you up, then we all rise. If we, as a society, can help raise each other up, we all benefit. It’s not a communist manifesto, or socialist rhetoric, it’s the truth. Title IX helps us see that truth. I hope everyone can enjoy the break in the rain…take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com