Title IX
March 5, 2018
Title IX states: 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.
Established in 1972, Title IX protects people (specifically students) from discrimination based on sex in educational programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX is enforced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Approximately 16,500 local schools, 7,000 post-secondary schools, charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries, museums, some vocational rehabilitation agencies, and some educational agencies are institutions that must abide by Title IX. And it’s not just the students that benefit: faculty, staff, and visitors are also protected.
Title IX is not just about sports, but it is credited for the growth in female school sport participation. Since established, the number of girls participating in sports grew from about 7% (1972) to about 41% (2014). While it’s not certain, college athletic scholarships may be directly affected by Title IX as their budget has actually grown since its enactment. This is not to say that male programs have suffered.
Aside from sports, Title IX extends to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking and requires that universities respond and address any report of such incidents and to take steps to prevent it. Furthermore, schools are required to support any persons reporting a violent incident while also being fair to the alleged suspect.
To learn more, you can research about Title IX or talk to your schools Title IX coordinator.