On June, 23 1972, Congress signed landmark legislation, Title IX, attacking the gender divide in sports. Title IX is a short and simple federal law: “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 educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
In 1972, only 30,000 girls participated in high school sports. Today, it’s over 3 million — an increase of 90 percent. As an avid sports fan, I fully support any act that increases athletics in schools, whether it’s for males or for females.
In order to comply with the athletic requirements of Title IX, educational institutions must meet the requirements of three areas. A three-part test for participation opportunities determines if institutions provide female and male students with equal athletic opportunities. In order to comply, institutions must pass one of three tests.
The first test has to compare the ratio of female to male participants in the athletic program with the ratio of female to male full-time students. If the resulting ratios are equal, the school is most likely in compliance in this area of Title IX.
The second major compliance of Title IX encompasses athletic financial assistance. The only monetary requirement of Title IX deals with the area of scholarships. Scholarships must be allocated in proportion to the number of female and male students participating in intercollegiate athletics. Funding for women’s and men’s programs does not have to be equal, but a significant disparity in funds does suggest that institutions could be found non-compliant in other program areas.
The third area of compliance for Title IX requires equivalence in other athletic benefits and opportunities and includes all other program areas not previously covered. Title IX does not require that each men’s and women’s team receive exactly the same services and supplies, but it looks at the entirety of the treatment that the men’s and women’s programs receive as a whole.
The widest impact of Title IX has been expanding girls’ and women’s sports in high school and college, creating the movement for greater professional opportunities for female athletes. These are obviously great achievements, which should be celebrated along with previous advancements in women’s rights.
Economists have long observed that participation in sports at a young age correlates to higher wages, greater educational attainment, and overall professional success in adult life.
In 2008, Betsey Stevenson, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, compiled data on students who attended high school just before and just after Title IX. Stevenson found that Title IX is associated with a 3-percent rise in women’s college attendance, a 2-percent rise in the probability of getting a four-year degree, a 2-percent increase in women’s employment, a 1.5-percent increase in the number of women in male-dominated fields, and a 1.3-percent increase in women’s wages in states with high enforcement.
What’s important is that these gains did not come at the expense of boys, whose participation in sports, educational attainment, and wage growth remained steady over this period. Title IX not only expanded women’s opportunities, but actually narrowed the achievement gap between women and men.
As a boy’s basketball coach in the high school ranks, it’s nice to see the girl’s teams receive equal amount of participation and attention as our teams. It generates more interest from the rest of the student body when they see more of their peers partaking in athletics, and in turn, leads to even more males and females playing.
Professional female athletes serve as role models for young girls all over the world. A lot of girls are hesitant to go out for sports teams because they either haven’t played before or fear that it’s not a popular choice. Seeing that these women were able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them and attain success is impactful for girls undecided on playing sports.
NSU freshman Miranda Schumes, a member of the women’s swim team said, “Being an athlete has led me to meet a lot of great people and taught me many life lessons.”
The door is open for opportunity. Title IX has empowered countless numbers of female athletes and helped accelerate growth in various aspects of their lives. It’s a great thing for athletics and humanity, and should continue to be acknowledged with its correlation to success in the future.
A female athlete’s perspective
“Athletics and sports open the door to leading a healthier lifestyle and give everyone — no matter their gender — a positive hobby to indulge in. So, it’s only fair for women to be given the same opportunities as men. Personally, I find that exercising and playing sports is an immense stress reliever. I have so many responsibilities and academic assignments; physical activities are my escape from the fast-paced and agitated world. Athletics teaches you essential life lessons, such as punctuality, responsibility and teamwork. Healthy competition is something that we should all fundamentally want to promote. There shouldn’t be a male preference; it’s only fair that women be given the same opportunity as men.”
— Camila Alfonso
