R. Gaull Silberman Center for Collegiate Studies
Get the Facts: Title IX Athletics
Get the Facts: Title IX & Athletics
Title IX was created to outlaw sex discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds. However, through skewed interpretation of this statute, feminist groups have used Title IX to push a radical agenda in schools. Consequently, current Title IX enforcement has institutionalized discrimination against men and demeaned legitimate athletic and academic accomplishments of women.
What is Title IX?
In 1972, Title IX was passed as an education amendment. It was written to outlaw sex discrimination in schools. While Title IX applies to all educational programs, its impact on athletic programs has been the most pronounced. Though Congress specifically stated the intent of Title IX was not to establish gender quotas, that has been the effect in the athletic arena and schools have often cut men's athletics in an attempt to comply with Title IX.
The pressure to cut programs comes from Title IX's proportionality requirement, which requires a school's athletic gender breakdown to match the gender breakdown of the general student body. For example, if 60% of the student body is female, 60% of the athletes must also be female to meet Title IX's proportionality test-the only requirement with a clear, quantitative test that can shield schools from litigation. With female students making up an increasingly large percentage of the undergraduate population, schools are struggling to achieve proportionality. The only options are to add programs for women or cut them for men. Once other concerns, like the budget, are taking into account, cutting programs is the easiest road to take.
Supporters of Title IX claim that schools can create opportunities for women without cutting men's opportunities, but the evidence shows otherwise. In spring 2007, a study by the College Sports Council (CSC) found:
- From 1981 to 2005, the number of male athletes per school declined 6% and men's teams dropped 17%. In the same timeframe, female athletes per school rose 34% and women's teams rose 34%.
- Men's tennis, wrestling, and gymnastics have faced the most cuts. For example, men's gymnastics has less than 20 varsity programs left in the country.
The Solution:
The common sense alternative to proportionality's one-size-fits-all gender quota is to measure student interest and abilities. This approach would offer schools more flexibility in catering to the preferences of the student body. It is also important in this approach to measure the interests and abilities of both men and women. Under current Title IX requirements, schools are only responsible for meeting the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex. Schools should be held accountable to all of their students, not just women.
It is important to celebrate the advances women have made in the athletic arena. However, it is equally important not to discriminate or punish men by replacing one form of discrimination for another. The proportionality rule of Title IX is long overdue for a reform.
All facts taken from Title IX & Athletics: A Primer, a publication by the Independent Women's Forum, available at iwf.org
Attached Files
- Get the Facts: Title IX & Athletics, PDF, 265.6 KB
8 Comments
Regina | January 10, 2009, 10:51pm | #
I was never athletic as a young girl, and do not believe that any girls should be. Why not get back to the types of games that girls used to play, like jump rope or hop scotch? What's wrong with them?
My stomach turns every time I see an anorexic female athlete who is 16 years old! It's time to end all of this.
Meg | February 27, 2009, 10:39am | #
First of all, what does anorexia have to do with women's sports?? Non athletes are more likely to be anorexic. The world is changing and progressing. You are incredibly ignorant to think that your opinion is representative of what women want or think. Females should have the right to do anything they choose and just because you do not have athletic ability and choose not to participate in sports doesn't mean you should speak for all women. Many women choose to compete and enjoy doing it, so keep your opinions to yourself. It is embarrassing as a woman to see you make false and derogatory comments towards your own gender.
Ray Miro | July 22, 2009, 9:00am | #
The intent of Title IX was, I hope, to not reverse the discrimination. However, that's exactly what is happening and that is not right. Girls absolutely should have the opportunities but we shouldn't have to discriminate others to achieve it. But, that is exactly what is happening.
Isabelle | September 25, 2009, 2:07am | #
Regina-
You must be fat. Just because women athletes tend to be more lean and muscular, doesn't mean that they are anorexic. Why should girls be restricted to hopscotch and jump rope? Get real.
sam smith | October 4, 2009, 1:37am | #
Title IX has basically destroyed mens sports inmany universities since the 1970's. I have seen first hand football and baseball programs in the western USA get phased out to accomodate womens sports. This is was all done in the name of equality. Women sports do not generate revenue income like mens football,basketball & baseball. In all, the feminist movement has basically destroyed the roles of women & men in America as it relates to relationships, education, church life,etc.
Matt | December 21, 2009, 3:04am | #
I think that it is obvious that women do not have the same interest in sports. Sure there are a lot of football fans out there that are girls but how many of them spend all day in the fall watching college football on TV? There has got to be someway that we can base the equality of a proportional interest shown by the student body... Another solution would be to suit up the girls and boy and let them play together. If we are so equal why do we need boys and girls sports?
Rachael | February 8, 2010, 12:37pm | #
Hey, Isabelle. Don't pick on poor Regina, I'm sure she doesn't mean that girls who are athletic are anorexic, so don't take it that way.
It's clear this ruling needs work, it isn't perfect and far from being perfect. In Michigan, recently they switched our seasons, in 2008, basketball was moved to the winter, volleyball was moved to the fall, and a bunch of other sports had switched. This caused a lot of girls to pick and chose the sports because some sports, like girls swimming, stayed in the fall. So girls who were volleyball players and swimmers, had to pick. Not fair.
Rachael | February 8, 2010, 12:39pm | #
Oh, and Regina, after reading your comment...are you from 1950? Girls can so play sports...what's wrong with it?