COLLEGE SPORT FOR WOMEN
TITLE IX
Title IX is not just about athletics and college
sport, it's about sexual discrimination in all aspects of federally funded
educational programs. This article will concentrate on the impact it has on
college sports programs.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. Sect. 1681 (20 United
States Code section 1681) et seq. (Title IX), is a Federal statute that was
enacted to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs
that benefit from federal government financial assistance. Virtually all
educational institutions receive Federal funds of some sort and, because of
this, are required to comply with Title IX. The regulation implementing the
Title IX statute is at 34 C.F.R. (34 Code of Federal Regulations) Part 106.
"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."
Title IX affects college athletics in three ways:
Athletic Scholarships: Women athletes have to get athletic scholarship dollars that are proportional to their sports participation. This basically means that if there is an equal number of female and male athletes then the scholarship budget allocation must be split equally.
Are American colleges and schools complying with Title IX?
There is no financial data available at the high school level but data relating to participation shows that while girls comprise 50% of the student body they only receive 39% of sports program opportunities.
It is also estimated that over 80% of
universities and colleges are not in compliance.
Title IX has been with us for nearly 40 years yet women account for only 42% of
college athletes, and women's sports programs receive only 32% of the recruiting
dollars and 36% of overall athletic funding in colleges and universities with
substantial sports programs.
It is also estimated that 2/3 of the institutions that comply with Title IX do so not by having a proportionate share of women athletes, but by demonstrating that they have increased athletic opportunities for women.
Participation:
women athletes have to be provided an equal and equitable opportunity to take part in college sports as men. This does not mean identical sports but the emphasis is on an equal opportunity to play.