Title IX had a seismic effect on American society and Sports
Tuesday, June 23, was the 50th anniversary of the passage of the landmark federal legislation known as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This legislation stated, "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."
Title IX did not grow out of a vacuum. It was a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was focused on employment and public accommodation. Title IX's focus was on educational institutions and the opportunities they offered.
In 1971, only one percent of athletic budgets at educational institutions were earmarked for women's sports. Most of this money was probably devoted to cheerleading so the women could cheer on male sports teams and token participation in a few sports.
When I went to Kingston High School between 1968 and 1972, I remember only two girls on the boys' swim team who played sports. I played CYO basketball and Little League baseball. I can't remember girls having anything similar.
Before 1972, women could not officially run in the Boston Marathon, and those who did had to use deception to run. I think we all can remember the photos of an enraged Boston Marathon race director, Jock Semple, trying to forcefully remove Kathrine Switzer from the race or at least rip off her official race number. This incident was a microcosm of the second-class status of women in sports and, in general, women in America.
Patriarchy was the norm in 1972. Women were ancillary to men. A definition of patriarchy is "a system or society or government in which men hold power and women are largely excluded from it." Title IX did not change this overnight. There was fierce resistance to it with many attempts to weaken it. Finally, in 1988 Title IX was strengthened, and loopholes closed.
Check out these statistics if you doubt patriarchy was the norm in the 1970s. In 1970, men were:
92 percent of the medical doctors.
96 percent of the lawyers.
99 percent of engineers.
97 percent of Congress.
In 1971, women made 59.5 cents compared to one dollar for men.
Perhaps the best anecdotal example of the status of women at the beginning of the 1970s was this: I would get the mail for an elderly, bed-ridden neighbor. As a teen, what struck me was that her mail was addressed to Mrs. James T. Johnson. My mother was widowed in 1964; ten years later, her mail was still addressed to Mrs. John J. Schallenkamp.
As a widow, it was acceptable that my mom was not attached to a man. However, for many, the term "divorcee" was a stigma. To many, these women could not be trusted. I remember lively television debates and newspaper articles about the morality of being a career woman. Men were seen as the "breadwinners" and had the economic power that goes with that labeling.
In sports, in situations where girls' sports did exist, they were limited. For example, in 1971, less than 300,000 girls participated in high school sports compared to more than 3,600,000 boys. Girls' participation was only 8% compared to boys.
In the 1960s, girls played basketball where only two players, the "rovers," could advance past mid-court. Full-court basketball was deemed too strenuous. There was often a one-day festival for track and field, meaning the girls got one opportunity to compete. I know at Newburgh Free Academy, the boy's coach would bring a select few girls to the Arlington Relays.
During my high school years, most boys played at least one sport. Opportunities for women were few. In the 1972 Olympic Games in track and field, there were no running events over 1500 meters for women. The men had the 5k, 10k, steeplechase, and marathon. In other words, distance running was not for women.
We often laud participation in sports as a valuable learning tool for young people to learn cooperation, the power of hard work and determination, to develop leadership skills, and to see themselves as capable individuals who can control their future. But unfortunately, young women were not offered this opportunity, which wasn't seen as necessary for women.
Title IX had a seismic effect on the role of women and opportunities for women in our society. Today, women make up 47 percent of the workforce. They are 36 percent of all doctors and 43 percent of family medicine practitioners. They constitute 37 percent of lawyers and 27 percent of all STEM jobs. Today, there are more women in medical and law schools than men. As male baby boomers age out of the workforce, they are increasingly being replaced by women.
Today more than 3,400,000 girls participate in high school sports. The participation rate compared to boys has risen from that 8% in 1971 to 75%. On the college Division one level, the participation rate compared to men is now 88%.
In today's running world, women often are the majority of race participants. Of course, disparities still exist, but young girls and women today have unheard-of opportunities compared to their grandmother's time. It is good that young women today can't imagine the lack of opportunities for women and the narrow role that was defined for women in our society. This means there has been real progress.
Title IX was the engine and vehicle for these changes; however, the forces of reactionism are not dead, and all people who believe in equity must remain vigilant.