WASHINGTON, DC — “We are extremely disappointed that the Bush administration squandered a golden opportunity to bring about much-needed reform of the way Title IX is implemented,” said Charlotte Hays, senior editor of the Independent Women’s Forum.
“We believe that the root cause of the administration’s failure to do the right thing is one that all too often afflicts male politicians’– fear of feminists.”
Title IX, a 1972 statute that guaranteed equal treatment for male and female athletes, has evolved into a draconian quota system that penalizes male athletes, creates a nightmare of paperwork for college and university athletic departments, and has led to costly litigation. As currently administered, Title IX has substituted one form of discrimination against women for another form of discrimination against men. Proof that Title IX remains destructive will be evident in the upcoming school year, as men’s teams will continue to be cut at drastic rates.
A majority of those on the blue-ribbon commission voted for modest but helpful reforms in the way Title IX is administered. Voting with the majority for modest reform were five women, including a female athletic director at a major university. Two members of the fourteen-member commission, however, opposed any change and, indeed, called for measures that will make the situation worse.
The administration chose to give these two women president and past president of the radical feminist Women’s Sports Foundation veto power, and in doing this forestalled any kind of significant reform. There will also now be a government-funding campaign to ‘educate’ schools about Title IX compliance.
If the educational campaign alerts schools to the fact that gender proportionality isn’t the only way to be in compliance with Title IX, it will be a step in the right direction. But this remains to be seen.
“We need to get back to the original intent of Title IX, which was to eliminate discrimination in any form. Once again, radical feminists have fooled male politicians into believing that they speak for all women. The fight to reform Title IX will continue, and IWF will be part of the effort,” said Hays.
The Independent Women’s Forum, founded in 1992, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.