Updated May 6, 2008
Two “firsts” were celebrated by women in the sports world this month, Women’s eNews reported. Danica Patrick became the first women to win and IndyCar Series event with a win in the Japan Indy 300 on April 20, and Lorena Ochoa became the first woman to win four consecutive tournaments in four consecutive weeks on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. Many sports analysts think Ochoa will win a grand slam—the top four tournaments—before Tiger Woods does.
ACTION: AAUW believes that Title IX’s impact on women’s athletic participation is one of the country’s greatest success stories. It has changed the playing field dramatically for girls and women in sports. AAUW believes that expansion of athletic opportunities for girls and women must continue at both the high school and college levels. If you haven’t yet done so, please use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist online to urge your representatives to cosponsor the High School Athletics Accountability Act (H.R. 901). This critical legislation would require high schools to report basic information on the number of female and male students in their athletic programs and the expenditures made for their sports teams, helping us all know how well Title IX is being enforced in our high schools and where we might need to make improvements. The House is currently working on adding provisions of this bill in the No Child Left Behind Act, and an increase in the number of cosponsors will demonstrate support for including the provisions in NCLB. For more information, read AAUW’s position paper on Title IX in school athletics and a new report by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education on Title IX at 35.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for May 2, 2008.
A recent Women’s eNews article discussed the recent string of Title IX cases that have awarded millions of dollars to the plaintiffs, including several cases at Fresno State University in California. According to the article, some schools may heed the warning put forth by these cases and take more proactive steps to prevent Title IX abuses. However, the fight is far from over, with new Title IX infractions surfacing more and more frequently. For example, Jay Flood, a volleyball coach at Florida Gulf Coast University, filed a lawsuit against the school in January. Flood claims she was fired after complaining about gender equity in the athletics program. Some have already branded Florida Gulf Coast the “Fresno State of the East.” ACTION: AAUW believes that Title IX’s impact on women’s athletic participation is one of the country’s greatest success stories. It has changed the playing field dramatically for girls and women in sports. AAUW believes that expansion of athletic opportunities for girls and women must continue at both the high school and college levels. If you haven’t yet done so, please use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist online to urge your representatives to cosponsor the High School Athletics Accountability Act (H.R. 901). This critical legislation would require high schools to report basic information on the number of female and male students in their athletic programs and the expenditures made for their sports teams, helping us all know how well Title IX is being enforced in our high schools and where we might need to make improvements. The House is currently working on adding provisions of this bill in the No Child Left Behind Act, and an increase in the number of cosponsors will demonstrate support for including the provisions in NCLB. For more information, read AAUW’s position paper on Title IX in school athletics and a new report by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education on Title IX at 35.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 14, 2008.
A study by the College Sports Council found that the vast majority of Historically Black Colleges and Universities are not in compliance with Title IX. Of the 74 coeducational historically black institutions, there were only two schools, Allen University and Morris College, in compliance with the Title IX proportionality requirement, which requires that the that the ratio of male to female athletes be similar to the overall ratio of the male to female undergraduate population. In many historically black colleges and universities, the undergraduate population is usually about 60 percent female, according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
There are some people involved in this debate who are using these statistics to erode the rights ensured by Title IX. Wade Hughes, the former head coach of the wrestling team at Howard University claims that, not only are these requirements eliminating opportunities for males, they are also hindering the opportunities for these schools to attract male student. AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz has repeatedly addressed this type of faulty logic that threatens the rights insured by Title IX, saying, “Title IX is one of the nation's most successful civil rights laws. Now's not the time to pull the rug out from underneath women and girls." She noted that women still have fewer slots available to them in college sports, and schools still spend less on women's sports than they do on men’s sports. The use of these statistics to argue against Title IX demonstrates the need for continued enforcement to ensure these rights.
ACTION: AAUW strongly supports the High School Sports Information Collection Act (S. 518), which would require high schools to report basic information on the number of female and male students in their athletic programs and the expenditures made for their sports teams. The Senate is currently working on adding provisions of this bill in the No Child Left Behind Act, and an increase in the number of cosponsors will demonstrate support for including the provisions in NCLB. If you haven’t yet done so, use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist online to urge your senators to enforce Title IX in our high schools.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 29, 2008.
Former Fresno State women’s basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein said Wednesday that she will accept the $6.6 million reduced award in her sex discrimination case against the school, the Fresno Bee reported. As reported in the December 7 edition of Washington Update, a jury had previously awarded her $19.1 million after finding that the university had discriminated and retaliated against her. A Fresno County Superior Court judge has reduced the award, and Johnson-Klein was given the option of agreeing to the settlement or facing the possibility of a new trial. Fresno State and California State University have until March 8 to decide if they will appeal. The jury’s December decision was the third time in the previous five months that the school was forced or agreed to pay in a sexual discrimination case. In July, the sexual discrimination trial of Fresno State’s former volleyball coach ended with a nearly $6 million verdict against the school, and the university settled another sexual discrimination case brought by their former associate athletic director for $3.5 million in October.
Since 1981 the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund has helped students, faculty, staff, and administrators in higher education challenge discriminatory practices such as sexual harassment, denial of tenure or promotion, pay inequity, and inequality in women's athletics programs.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 15, 2008.
Created by the Women’s Sports Foundation in 2001 to prevent young girls from falling into a sedentary lifestyle, GoGirlGo! offers at-risk girls a fun, interactive program to keep them on the track to success and deter them from the high-risk behaviors that can accompany inactivity including obesity, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, tobacco use, drug use, teenage pregnancy and depression. The GoGirlGo! curriculum is available at no cost through the Women’s Sports Foundation. For more information on GoGirlGo! and to order kits for a classroom or community organization supporting girls, log onto www.GoGirlGo.com or call 800-227-3988.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for Febrary 1, 2008.
Last week, the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, chaired by AAUW, hosted a congressional briefing to release their new report, Title IX at 35: Beyond the Headlines. The new report goes beyond the media headlines to discuss how Title IX has affected athletics, career and technical education, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, employment, sexual harassment, and single-sex education in schools, and presents recommendations from the experts on how to reach equity in education. This week, AAUW's Capitol Hill Lobby Corps will be delivering copies of the report to members of the House of Representatives and urging them to cosponsor the High School Athletics Accountability Act (H.R. 901).
Title IX's impact on women's athletic participation is one of the country's greatest success stories. In the past three decades, Title IX's fight against sex discrimination in federally-funded schools and educational programs in the U.S. has led to a 400 percent increase in the rate of female participation in college sports and a more than 800 percent increase in participation at the high school level.
Despite the significant gains girls and women have made since the enactment of Title IX, a significant drawback to the law's enforcement at the high school level involves the lack of data reporting. The U.S. Department of Education has not required these schools to report athletic opportunity, participation, and funding statistics to any higher authority. Colleges are required to report this data, it's time our high schools are too.
AAUW strongly supports the High School Athletics Accountability Act, which would require high schools to report basic information on the number of female and male students in their athletic programs and the expenditures made for their sports teams. The House is currently working on adding provisions of this bill in the No Child Left Behind Act. An increase in the number of cosponsors will demonstrate support for including the provisions in NCLB.
AAUW Action Network for January 29, 2008
The National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, chaired by AAUW, hosted a congressional briefing on Wednesday to release their new report, Title IX at 35: Beyond the Headlines. The new report goes beyond the media headlines to discuss how Title IX has affected athletics, career and technical education, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, employment, sexual harassment, and single-sex education in schools, and presents recommendations from the experts on how to reach equity in education. AAUW contributed the chapter on sexual harassment, and AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz lead the briefing. The report can be downloaded from the website for the NCWGE. For more information on AAUW’s stance on Title IX, read our position papers.
ACTION: Several specific pieces of legislation that are affected by or have an effect on Title IX were discussed at the briefing, including the Higher Education Act reauthorization, the No Child Left Behind reauthorization, and legislation enforcing Title IX in high school athletics. AAUW encourages you to learn more about these pieces of legislation through resources on our website, and then use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist online to make your voice heard on Capitol Hill.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 25, 2008.
A 12-4 record in the regular season earned Quincy High School’s 1977 softball team its first Suburban League title. But despite standout performances by the four seniors on the team, the girls did not take home varsity letters. The Patriot Ledger (Wednesday, Jan. 23)
- from AAUW's Equity Issues in the News for Jan 18-25, 2008.
After a decade, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its head female soccer coach, Anson Dorrance, settled a lawsuit brought on by Melissa Jennings, a former female soccer player. Jennings’ suit, brought under Title IX, alleged that the soccer coach had harassed and discriminated against her and that UNC personnel failed to address the issue. The terms of the settlement include a $385,000 payment to Jennings and an agreement that North Carolina will revise its sexual harassment policies and procedures after an independent review. Inside Higher Ed reported that Dorrance recently acknowledge that he had engaged in “…‘inappropriate and unacceptable’ behavior by participating in ‘group discussions of ... team members’ sexual activities.’” Despite the settlement, UNC continues to stand by Dorrance, stating that “[h]e is an outstanding worldwide ambassador for women’s sports, amateur athletics and the University of North Carolina.” Melissa Jennings was supported by the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund. Read more about her case.
AAUW has been at the forefront of sexual harassment research for more than a decade. AAUW’s research shows that sexual harassment on campus takes an especially heavy toll on young women; making it harder for them to get the education they need to take care of themselves and their families. Since 1981 the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund has helped students, faculty, staff, and administrators in higher education challenge discriminatory practices such as sexual harassment, denial of tenure or promotion, pay inequity, and inequality in women's athletics programs. Read more about the Legal Advocacy Fund and find out about how you can help. For more information, read AAUW’s position paper on sexual harassment and AAUW Educational Foundation’s report, Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus. Learn more about efforts to address sexual harassment on campus through AAUW Building Harassment-Free Campuses initiative.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 18, 2008.
Title IX's impact on women's athletic participation is one of the country's greatest success stories. In the past three decades, Title IX's fight against sex discrimination in federally-funded schools and educational programs in the U.S. has led to a 400 percent increase in the rate of female participation in college sports and a more than 800 percent increase in participation at the high school level.
Despite the significant gains girls and women have made since the enactment of Title IX, a significant drawback to the law's enforcement at the high school level involves the lack of data reporting. The U.S. Department of Education has not required these schools to report athletic opportunity, participation, and funding statistics to any higher authority. Colleges are required to report this data, it's time our high schools are too.
AAUW strongly supports the High School Sports Information Collection Act (S. 518), which would require high schools to report basic information on the number of female and male students in their athletic programs and the expenditures made for their sports teams. Sadly, this bill only has five cosponsors. The Senate is currently working on adding provisions of this bill in the No Child Left Behind Act. An increase in the number of cosponsors will demonstrate support for including the provisions in NCLB.
While members of Congress have not yet returned to Washington, their staff has, and they are busily preparing for their bosses' return. Now is a great time to make your support for this bill known to your senators and their offices, even if you have already done so in the past.
Take Action! It's time we know the status of Title IX in America's high schools. Urge your senators to cosponsor the High School Sports Information Collection Act.
- from AAUW's Action Network for January 9, 2008.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced Thursday that they will support Texas A&M University’s Laboratory for Diversity in Sport and its research into how athletic departments can increase diversity among employees, teams, and fans. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the lab studies the impact of diversity on college sports teams and athletics departments and recognizes top colleges and universities that excel in areas of diversity.
AAUW believes that Title IX’s impact on women’s athletic participation is one of the country’s greatest success stories. It has changed the playing field dramatically for girls and women in sports. AAUW believes that expansion of athletic opportunities for girls and women must continue at both the high school and college levels. For more information, read AAUW’s position paper on equity in school athletics.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 4, 2008.
As reported in the November 30 edition of Washington Update, a new book about Title IX is poised to stir up debate about gender equity in schools. Playing With the Boys: Why Separate is Not Equal in Sports, by Eileen McDonagh and Laura Pappano, suggests that the law reinforces the idea that women are physically inferior to men by creating a sex-segregated structure for compet