After the 1972 political events in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal and the Equal Rights Amendment you would think that the Education Amendments of 1972 would be just another piece of legislation. WRONG!! On June 23, 1972, the U.S. Congress passed and President Richard M. Nixon signed Title IX. What may have seemed like a simple piece of legislation, turned out to change the lives of many. What is Title IX? Title IX is a civil rights law against discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal funding. This law has been challenged, rebutted, and tested but one thing remains- anyone (man or woman) can participate in a federal funded educational program.
One case in particular that’s closely associated with Title IX is one involving female student-athletes. Although Title IX benefits both men and women, historically females have faced greater gender barriers than men. According to “The Ongoing Controversy Over Title IX”, nine states in 1961 prohibited interscholastic sports for females. The number of women in athletics have almost doubled since 1972 in athletic participation. Biology Of Sex Differences reports that since March 2013, the National Collegiate Athletic Association reports scholarships for women were virtually nonexistent before Title IX and now exceeds $960 million for women’s athletics (Sandberg and Verbalis).
Before the passage of Title IX, women comprised of only 15% of college athletes (Bryjak). Title IX created three legal standards for any institution receiving federal funds including opportunities for female students, scholarships for female students athletic programs and equal treatment between male and female athletes at their particular institution (Title IX Turns 40: A Brief History and Look Forward). Some stakeholders reason that this is unfair because women’s athletics do not bring in as much revenue as men’s. Before Title IX, women’s athletic programs received 2% of the total athletic budget (Bryjak). They are missing the point of the Title IX importance. “The law does not require exact parity, but it does require substantially equal opportunity” (Buchanan). Sports Illustrated noted in 1979, just five years after Title IX had passed, women outnumbered men in undergraduate enrollment at degree-granting institutions (Title IX Timeline). This was created for all people equal opportunities, not profit. The University of Cincinnati now supports nine female athletic programs.
Not only have female athletes made a break-through but also female coaches. The University of Cincinnati has made national news (ESPN) for their Grade A report. Grades are based on the percent of women head coaches of women’s teams for select NCAA FBS Schools. UC scored the highest with 90% among other notable schools and conferences. Out of a study conducted by ESPN W & The Alliance for Women Coaches three years, Cincinnati has consistently received an A all three years.
It was almost inevitable that a piece of legislation such as Title IX would arise. Women have been making a comeback for centuries. After many years of having to sit on the bench and watch the men play sports, women became fired up. The actual legal document Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states, “The principal objective of Title IX is to avoid the use of federal money to support sex discrimination in education programs and to provide individual citizens effective protection against those practices” (Title). This legislation, of what seemed like a simple law, affected stakeholders such as universities and student-athletes. The University of Cincinnati is supporting the endeavor to create one community, one team.