Title IX is a federal law that was implemented in 1972, the law 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.’2 Although there are many societal applications for Title IX such as counseling, financial aid, and sexual harassment, this blog is going to explore the impact of Title IX as it pertains to athletic programs.
Because athletics is considered an educational program/activity at the public school and higher education level, it is included in Title IX. One requirement of Title IX is that men and women are granted equal opportunity to participate in sports.2 This basically means that for every men’s sport, there has to be a similar or comparable women’s sport. This statute also requires that institutions must offer proportional scholarships for both men and women. Men and women may not be offered the same dollar amount for their sport but they must be offered dollars that are proportional to their participation.2
Since the implementation of Title IX there has been an incredible increase in women’s participation in sports. However, despite all the effort put into ‘leveling the playing field,’ there remains a significantly fewer number of women that participate in sports.3 Not only do less women participate in sports, but far less women become coaches and athletic administrators than men.3 Unfortunately, Athletic Administration continues to be a male saturated career field.3 Sport institutions have 'institutionalized masculinity as the operating principle within sport, which essentially strengthens the masculine image of sport and reinforces masculine behavior as acceptable leadership qualities required in sport.'3 I believe that women should get more involved in the management side of sports so that they can advocate for women’s sports and help make sure that their program meets the requirements for being in compliance. It would also be very beneficial for these women leaders to get involved in an association that does just that, such as the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA).
If a school is found not in compliance with Title IX there is a chance that they could lose their federal funding. If that is not bad enough, students or their parents could sue for those violations.1 There have been a handful of lawsuits that were won by the student or parents but to this date there has not been a school that lost its federal funding. Most lawsuits have ended in the school’s federal funding being delayed and having to pay the legal fees for the cases being brought to court.
Title IX has many components and requirements that are misunderstood by athletic programs and their administrators. Check back soon for some more insight into the impact of Title IX.
References:
1Druckman. J. N., Gilli, M., Klar, S., & Robinson, J. (2014). Athlete Support for Title IX. The Sport Journal. http://thesportjournal.org/article/athlete-support-for-title-ix/
2NCAA. (n.d.). Title IX Frequently Asked Questions. Retreived from http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/inclusion/title-ix-frequently-asked-questions#how
3Senne, J. A. (2016). Examination of Gender Equality and Female Participation in Sport. The Sport Journal. http://thesportjournal.org/article/examination-of-gender-equity-and-female-participation-in-sport/
