Emily Weiland

Lori Bedell
CAS 137H
7 November 2014
37 Words
Its amazing how much of an impact and influence thirty-seven words can have on a
society. In US society and culture, Title IX is a perfect example of such an effect. This law
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. President Richard Nixon signed this section of
the Education Amendments into law on June 23, 1972 (Wulf). With the passage of Title IX,
women finally were granted and guaranteed the same educational rights as their male
counterparts. Because of a larger recognition of shortcomings in womens rights and efforts to
improve them, the act still plays a critical role in maintaining equality for both sexes over forty
years later, although the change in meaning has in recent years shifted toward equality and equal
opportunities for women in athletics.
Decades after Thomas Jeffersons infamous words All men are created equal were
published, women were still persistently fighting for the same rights as men. Despite substantial
progress for womens rights throughout the late 1800s and most of the 1900s, including the
establishment of prominent groups like the National American Womens Suffrage Association
(1890), the League of Women Voters (1920), and the National Organization for Women (1966),
obvious inequalities between males and females continued to inspire womens rights activists
and feminists alike (Womens Rights Movements). The 1963 Equal Pay Act was a sizeable

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victory for the womens rights movement, because this act mandated the same wages for the
same work, regardless of whether a man or a woman performed the task. In the following year,
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 focused on ending discrimination in the workforce
based on race, religion, and national origin; this set off a spark for womens rights activists and
gave opportunity to further advance a movement for gender equality (Teaching With
Documents). This act brought to the forefront the fact that although discrimination against race,
religion, and national origin was now prohibited in the workforce, the Civil Rights Act of 1964
did not explicitly state that women were subject to the same nondiscriminatory treatment.
Women throughout the United States continued to be discriminated against and demanded
further attention. A key figure of the time was Representative Howard Smith of Virginia, a longtime friend of the National Womens Party co-founder Alice Paul. Smith was responsible for
suggesting an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act: adding the word sex into the list
of prohibited discriminatory measures (Risen). This essentially marked the next breakthrough in
creating a society in which men and women are considered equal.
Three years later, the breakthrough critical stepping stone that was laid as the groundwork
for all future gender-equity legislation, including Title IX, was President Johnsons 1967 signing
of Executive Order 11375; this order prohibits federal contractors from employment practices
that discriminate on the basis of sex. This finally meant that being a woman was no longer a
valid reason to discriminate in the workforce environment. However, despite the success and
progression with Executive Order 11375, women were still at an unfair disadvantage regarding
furthering their education.
Executive Order 11375 played a pivotal role in the years prior to the passage of Title IX.
Bernice Sandler, now known as the Godmother of Title IX used this order in a legal case after

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personally suffering sexual discrimination in being denied a position she was highly qualified for
because she came on too strong for a woman (Bernice R. Sandler, Ed.D). Upon searching
for employment as a professor after graduating college with a doctorate degree, time after time
Sandler was turned down. This inspired her to further explore discrimination towards women,
which in turn inspired many others, including Edith Green, Patsy Mink, and Senator Birch Bayd.
Sandler filed a formal complaint against not only the University of Maryland, but also against
250 other institutions regarding discrimination against women to the Department of Labor, which
drew attention to this escalating issue. Representative Edith Green held the first Congressional
hearing on education and the employment of women in 1970, and Representative Patsy Mink
then drafted the legislation for Title IX. The bill was introduced to Congress by Senator Birch
Bayh on February 28, 1972 (Kline).
Transitions in culture and demographics in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s
greatly influenced the need for an act such as Title IX. In the 1960s, the dominant ideology and
commonplace for a woman was to marry in her early twenties, have children, and spend her days
at home as a homemaker raising her children. In the United States, however, culture was
beginning to shift from this traditional viewpoint. Women across the country wanted access to
education and the opportunity to make their own decisions regarding their own futures.
Furthermore, a prosperous US economy post World War II left a surplus of jobs that needed
filled, making it necessary for women to work. This caused a shift in the traditional family
structure, but was considered acceptable during this time period because having two incomes
was necessary for the ever-growing popularity of a comfortable middle-class lifestyle (The
1960s-70s).

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Additionally, the invention of an oral contraceptive pill in the 1960s accompanied US
economic prosperity and the shift in traditional family structure. The overwhelming popularity
and success of the birth control pill as a reliable oral contraceptive allowed women to plan for
the future. This medical advance, for the first time, allowed women to plan a career and a life
without feeling trapped in the previously dominant patriarchy that women were to have children
in their early twenties and to be homemakers their whole lives. This change in societal norms
dramatically escalated the demand for opportunities for women to further their education and to
become skilled in various professions that were previously male dominated fields (Nikolchev).
The second wave of the feminist movement and the sexual revolution in the 1960s were
also indicators as to the shift in US culture. The core concept of the sexual revolution of the
1960s was the radical concept that women had the same sexual desires and should have the
same sexual freedoms as everyone else in society. On the contrary, conservatives believed the
sexual revolution was an invitation for promiscuity and an attack on the very foundation of
American society- the family. These contrasting viewpoints were a hot topic of debate during
this time period in United States history, and The Pill was often blamed for causing this issue.
Essentially it caused excitement and promise for some, while simultaneously instilling fear in
others. Author Pearl Buck went as far as saying in a Readers Digest article Everyone knows
what The Pill is. It is a small object- yet its potential effect upon our society may be more
devastating than a nuclear bomb (People and Events).
Additionally, womens choices in apparel accompanied and contributed to this
controversial shift in culture. During the 1960s, women were pushing boundaries and limits by
purging their wardrobes of restrictive apparel, appropriating masculine styles, and shortening
their skirts to the eventual conclusion that their undergarments become more visible, and, at

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times, strategically styled to entice the public. This new approach to womens athletic attire
permitted female athletes to move more elaborately, to enhance their speed, and to be more
competitive and deliberate with their actions. The gradual, at times subtle and at times emphatic,
changes in clothing greatly differed from the original assumption and norm that argued,
according to historian Nancy Rosoff, dressing in conventional clothing kept women from
appearing too threatening while they engaged in their athletic activities (Schultz). The variation
in womens outerwear was an evolutionary and evident factor that proved just how much society
was changing in the United States.
The changing dominant patriarchy throughout the United States during this time period
caused much controversy, as one can imagine. Some supported the womens rights movement
wholeheartedly, while others did everything in their power to maintain a male dominated society.
For example, many feared that this act would have an adverse effect on men; especially once the
paradigm shift occurred, many feared and speculated that mens teams and scholarships would be
cut in order to achieve equality for both mens and womens athletics, although this was never
the intention of the act. The focus and goal of Title IX in athletics was to add womens teams
and to create opportunities that were previously unavailable, not to cut mens teams and
eliminate already existing teams and scholarships. On a very narrow scale, there is a little bit of
truth as to cutting mens sports teams, most commonly wrestling and gymnastics; however, other
mens sports like baseball, lacrosse, and soccer were added, which resulted in a net gain of
approximately 1,000 mens teams in NCAA affiliated colleges between 1988 and 2010.
Additionally, although obviously the number of women athletes increased on a greater scale
compared to men, both sexes saw increased participation in sports during the 1960s and 1970s.
The Washington Post reports that women in college athletics increased from 74,000 to 190,000

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since 1981, while men in college athletics increased from 169,000 to 252,000 during the same
period (Schulte). Overall, the fear of eliminating mens athletics in order to satisfy Title IX
requirements brought additional obstacles that needed to be overcome in order to consider Title
IX a victory in equality in additional aspects, especially athletics.
The successful impact of Title IX on discriminating against women in education created
the foundation and basis for many to believe that this vague act could also successfully be
applied in many other situations. Coincidently, on September 20, 1973, an event dramatically
escalated the popularity of womens sports. With 30,000 spectators in Houston and millions more
on TV, Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in a tennis
match that came to be known as the Battle of the Sexes. The defeat energized the popularity of
not only womens tennis, but also the acceptance of women in sports. With the spotlight on
Billie Jean, she is quoted as saying, In the 70s we had to make it acceptable for people to
accept girls and women as athletes. We had to make it OK for them to be active (Schwartz).
This inspirational message brought attention to this escalating and emerging issue, and many
believed that Title IX provided the groundwork for ensuring and offering the same opportunities
for women in athletics.
The shift in meaning from Title IXs initial educational focus has undoubtedly played a
tremendous contributing role in creating equal opportunities for women in athletics. In 1972, the
same year Title IX was signed, 1 in 27 girls participated in a sport. In 1978, just six years later,
the ratio increased to 1 in every 4 girls playing a sport (Atal). The impact this act has had on US
society is truly unfathomable, considering how different a womans role in the 1900s was
compared to the role of a woman today. Furthermore, the critical correlation between education
and athletics is demonstrated in an alarming statistic that proves just how impactful Title IX has

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been on womens lives: Over 80% of women who hold managerial roles in Fortune 500
companies have a sports background (Title IX: 25 Years of Progress). These women honestly
would never have experienced this prosperity had it not been for the passage of Title IX. The
positive influences from both the opportunity to continue education and the life lessons that
many of these women learned from playing sports resulted in success that prior to Title IX,
women could only dream of.
Throughout the last fifty years in US history, many women made their mark and served as
inspiration to other women and girls throughout the country. The opportunities that accompanied
the passage of Title IX are what caused the dramatic increase in number of women athletes. In
the early 1970s, the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was established
with 280 participating schools. Less than ten years later, the AIAW grew to over 970
participating schools. Then, in 1981, the AIAW essentially underwent an acquisition in order for
both mens and womens athletic programs to be under the same umbrella organization, the
NCAA (Hosick). The establishment and growth of collegiate programs, championships, and
scholarships continued to inspire and spark interest in young female athletes. Also, individual
female athletes who made history on the Olympic stage instilled an interest and excitement for
womens athletics. For example, in 1964, even prior to Title IX, Soviet gymnast Larissa
Latynina completed her Olympic career with a total of 18 medals, which was more than any
other Olympic athlete at the time. In 1978, Ann Meyers became the first woman to try out and to
sign a contract with the NBA; the following year, Meyers was the first woman drafted for the
new Womens Professional Basketball League, the first of many basketball leagues specifically
for women. In addition, in 1987, the first woman, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, was featured on the
cover of Sports Illustrated magazine (Frantz). Although most of these small victories were few

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and far between, the effect combined was monumental toward the attitudes about women in
athletics.
The enormous impact of Title IX has also, in a sense, changed US society and culture.
For example, women are now accepted on a wide variety of playing fields and are seeing
opportunities that were unfathomable and unimaginable in the years prior to the passage of Title
IX. Women have gained confidence in themselves, and nowadays, many are unafraid to compete
with men. Title IX has contributed tremendously in disproving the assumption that women are
subordinate to men. For example, in 2010, the University of Connecticut womens basketball
team went two seasons (2008-2010) without defeat and surpassed the previous winning streak,
formerly held by a mens team from UCLA (Before and After). Additionally, the Department
of Education reports that now more women complete college degrees than men on all four
levels- associate, bachelors, masters, and doctorate (De Hon). These two examples represent
just a sample of how far women have come and how much the outlook of women has changed in
the last forty years.
Lastly, this short, rather ambiguous act and purposeful last words under any educational
program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance allows for various interpretations
within this Education Amendments bill. Despite causing controversy over the explicit meaning
of this act, Title IX has successfully become an umbrella law for womens rights in any
institution that receives federal financial existence, which is ultimately most institutions in one
way or another. This past decade, Title IX has not only continued to enforce equal rights in both
education and athletics, but has also taken another dimension in being used to discuss the
inequalities between men and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)
fields. After an initial shift from education to athletics, this act is now making its way back to

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providing the groundwork for womens equality in these educational fields. The US Department
of Commerce reported in 2011 that only one in seven engineers are female, and that there has
been no growth of women in STEM fields since 2000. Additionally, they report that only 27% of
computer science positions are filled by women. Some speculate and expect that this act will be
used to try to combat the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields in the future by
reworking the k-12 curriculum, combating stereotypes, and creating programs to encourage
women to study technology in order to equalize this inequality (Huhman).
In conclusion, even four decades later women are continuously making history and
strides in the aftermath of the passage of Title IX. The progress Title IX has made for women
since 1972 in both education and athletics is truly immeasurable. Title IX precursors Executive
Order 11375 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Movement reignited the spark for many womens
rights activists, including Bernice Sandler, the Godmother of Title IX. The changing US
culture in the 1960s and 1970s opened peoples minds about the possibility of women working
alongside men with the same opportunities both educationally and athletically. And while Title
IX still plays an important role athletically today, it is very probable that it will be used in the
future as leverage for filling the gap between men and women in STEM fields. But who knows,
the possibilities and interpretations with this act are endless.

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Works Cited
Atal, Maja. Happy 40th Anniversary Title IX: From Girls Sports to Womens Wages. N.p.,
22 June 2012. Web. 23 October 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/mahaatal/2012/06/
22/happy-40th-anniversary-title-ix-from-girls-sports-to-womens-wages/>.
Before and After Title IX: Women in Sports. The New York Times, 16 June 2012. Web. 20
October 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/17/opinion/sunday/sunday
review-titleix-timeline.html?_r=1&#/time12_272#time12_264>.
Bernice R. Sandler, Ed.D. Maryland State Archives, 2010. Web. 21 October 2014.
<http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/sandler.html>.
De Hon, Jackie. Women have Overcome Roadblocks to Education Success. Express News,
13 September 2013. Web. 22 October 2014. <http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/
commentary/article/Women-have-overcome-roadblocks-to-education-4813106.php>.
Frantz, Chris. Timeline: Women in Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 October 2014. <http://www.
infoplease.com/spot/womeninsportstimeline2.html>.
Hosick, Michelle. Equal Opportunity Knocks. NCAA.org, 2 February 2014. Web. 30
October 2014. <http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/2011-02-02/equal-opportunity-knocks>.
Huhman, Heather. STEM Fields and the Gender Gap: Where are the Women? Forbes.com,
20 June 2012. Web. 23 October 2014. < http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/
2012/06/20/stem-fields-and-the-gender-gap-where-are-the-women/>.
Kline, Kelly. Forty years later: The impact of Bernice Sandler on Title IX. Fullcourt.com, 20
June 2012. Web. 26 October 2014. <
http://www.fullcourt.com/kelly-klinefullcourtwbball/21402/forty-years-later-impact-bernice-sandler-title-ix>.
Nikolchev, Alexandra. A brief history on the birth control pill. Pbs.org, 7 May 2010. Web.
23 October 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-brief-historyof-the-birth-control-pill/480/>.

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People & Events: The Pill and the Sexual Revolution. Pbs.org, 2011. Web. 27 October 2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/e_revolution.html>.
Risen, Clay. The Accidental Feminist. N.p., 7 February 2014. Web. 29 October 2014.
<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2014/02/the_50th_
anniversary_of_title_vii_of_the_civil_rights_act_and_the_southern.single.html>.
Schulte, Brigid. Does Title IX equality for females come at males expense? The Washington
Post, 27 June 2013. Web. 29 October 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/
does-title-ix-equality-for-females-come-at-males-expense/2013/06/27/7c8beee0- df55-11e2b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html>.
Shultz, Jaine. Qualifying Times: Points of Change in US Womens Sport. Urbana: University
of Illinois Press, 2014. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 3 November 2014.
Schwartz, Larry. Billie Jean won for all women. ESPN.com, n.d. Web. 20 October 2014.
<https://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016060.html>.
Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web.
22 October 2014. < http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/>.
The 1960s-70s American Feminist Movement: Breaking Down Barriers for Women.
Tavanna.org, n.d. Web. 22 October 2014. <https://tavaana.org/en/content/1960s-70samerican-feminist-movement-breaking-down-barriers-women>.
Title IX: 25 Years of Progress. U.S. Department of Education, 1997. Web. 23 October 2014.
<www2.ed.gov/pubs/titleix/briefhistory-25-years-of-progress>.
Womens Rights Movement. Glolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2014. Web. 27 October
2014. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/brief-history-womens- rightsmovements>.
Wulf, Steve. Title IX: 37 Words that Changed Everything. ESPNW, 29 April 2012. Web. 20
October 2014. <

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http://espn.go.com/espnw/title-ix/article/7722632/37-words-changedeverything>.