Title IX at 35
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Author
National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE)
Date
2008Metadata
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Thirty-five years after the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the stunning progress brought by this landmark civil rights legislation is evident in women’s unprecedented achievements in many areas, including business, the professions, academics, sports and public leadership. But, much remains to be done, for the evidence shows that girls and women continue to suffer discrimination in many educational activities, although it is usually in a more subtle form than it was before Title IX was enacted. A glance at the news headlines from the last five years shows that in spite of the continuing discrimination against girls, Title IX is under attack from critics who claim that there is a “boys’ crisis” and that the law now favors girls and women at the expense of boys and men. However, studies show that the educational performance of both sexes has continued to improve under Title IX and that girls’ gains have not come at boys’ expense. Moreover, both boys and girls face problems such as low high school graduation rates, sexual harassment, and sex stereotyping. Policymakers must seek solutions that benefit all students. This report sets forth the facts behind the headlines in six areas covered by Title IX that have been focused on in recent years: athletics in schools; education in the “STEM” subjects—science, technology, engineering and mathematics; career and technical education; employment in educational institutions; sexual harassment of students; and single-sex education. Through this examination, NCWGE seeks to inform the continued search for policies that will promote true equality of educational opportunity in all of these areas.