Writing on our home page and also in National Review Online, Carrie Lukas notes that this week marks the 33rd anniversary of Title IX, the federal law designed to do away with sex discrimination in education. But instead of celebrating, she points out, liberal politicians, egged on by radical feminists, are bellyaching that the Bush administration has gutted the law.
That?s liberal-speak for the administration’s recent easing of the Department of Education’s draconian quota rules that implemented the law by virtually forcing colleges and universities to cut men’s sports programs so as to make the numbers of participants overall equal to the numbers of women participating in women’s sports. Unfortunately, no one has ever been able to figure out how to persuade women to go out in equal numbers as men for the competitive team sports that are the only kind of athletic activity that count as a sport under the Title IX rules (not aerobics or Pilates)–which has led to the wholesale cutting of college athletics for men.
Carrie explains why the rules change is a breath of sanity:
“The Bush administration’s regulatory clarification means that schools now have the option of surveying their students to assess interest in athletic participation. Different responses between genders can now serve as a basis for explaining different levels of participation in athletics. Opponents of this sensible procedure caricature it by saying that all a university must do is send one email to students and, bingo, Title IX compliance. In reality, the Department of Education details a rigorous process that encourages maximum participation, such as making participation in the survey a part of the registration process or following up initial requests with phone calls or additional email inquiries.
“Hostility toward reform is likely based on fear of what an honest assessment may find: that more men are drawn to sports than women. And indeed, evidence that men have a greater interest in athletics abounds. Men’s participation in intramural leagues on college campuses dwarfs women’s; men spend more time watching sports; men spend more money on sports; and male athletes are more willing to sit on benches as second stringers than female athletes, who often quit when not regularly played.”
And she explains why the radical feminists Are Not Amused:
“The feminists and left-wing politicians who sing the praises of Title IX don’t want to face these facts. They envision a world in which men and women act the same and are equally represented in all walks of life. But that’s not how actual men and women behave. These social engineers want government to force that outcome anyway.”
And that’s why the liberals are complaining instead of celebrating.