General | 6/23/2022 12:30:00 PM

DENTON, Texas (June 23, 2022) - Although heavily attributed to creating equal opportunities for women in athletics in schools, Title IX addresses and, therefore, bars all sex discrimination in federally funded programs.
 
Originally passed on June 23, 1972, 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 educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
 
Included in the Education Amendments Act, Title IX was passed by President Nixon in 1972.
 
When the title was passed in 1972, it was meant to address the overall discrimination in educational settings. According to Sports Illustrated, in 1970, only 59% of women in the US graduated from high school and just a meager 8% had college degrees. For those 8%, restrictions were still in place. Women could only study certain degree plans, or they had to have higher grades than males to be admitted. Furthermore, women were barred from professional employment for any number of reasons.
 
Bernice Sandler, known as the "godmother" of Title IX, graduated from the University of Maryland in 1969 with her Ed.D. in counseling. She was told she would never be hired for a full-time teaching position because she "came on too strong for a woman." After facing this discrimination, Sandler found an executive order from President Lyndon B. Johnson that disallowed discrimination on the basis of sex for any organization that accepted federal contracts, i.e., universities and such.
 
Sandler then gathered her research and presented it to Representative Edith Green, from Oregon, who held seven days of congressional hearings on sex discrimination in education in 1970, hearings which laid the groundwork for Title IX.
 
Although sports were not the initial focal point, it did not take long to recognize the possible implications and involve athletics as a rallying point for equality in education.
 
Although the law was signed into effect in 1972, women fought daily for equality in athletic spaces and are still fighting today. For example, in 1974, two years after Title IX was passed, Mariah Burton Nelson accepted an offer to attend Stanford University to play collegiate basketball. The women's team at Stanford was coached by a volunteer graduate student. They played their games in a small practice gym, which could fit only about 20 fans on a single bench. Their uniforms – white t-shirts with masking tape numbers-- were worn for their short 11-game season. Additionally, the team was prohibited from using the weight room.
 
On the other hand, the Stanford men's basketball team, who almost all had full scholarships, played 25 games in their brand-new gym, Maples Pavilion.

Using Title IX, Nelson and her teammates staged sit-ins in the athletic director's office, refusing to leave until their discrimination was addressed with equal resources.
 
Title IX allowed women to amplify their voice with the law. Now, we see schools must offer equitable opportunities for participation, equal resources and equal treatment of male and female athletes. While this is dictated by Title IX, the truth is the fight is still not over.
 
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be releasing stories of past Pioneers, like Jo Kuhn, who championed the fight for women and small Division II schools. Kuhn fought to gain TWU admittance into the Lone Star Conference. Because of her efforts, TWU became the first women's institution in the nation to be a member of a co-ed conference.
 
We will also share stories of present-day Pioneers who share their experiences. Although Title IX is celebrating 50 years, our athletes share stories of recent discrimination growing up, such as lack of resources and false labels such as "women can't do ____."
 
As a university, our mission is to educate a woman, empower the world. Through athletics, we are striving to live out this mission on a daily basis.
 
What do past and present Pioneers all have in common? Each of them has been empowered by sports and have stories worth sharing.
 
Join TWU Athletics as we release stories weekly featuring our true Pioneers of Title IX here.  
 
For more information on how Title IX applies to collegiate athletic institutions, visit NCAA.org.