Education and Labor Hearing on 35 Years of Title IX
Subcommittee Chairman Rubén Hinojosa gives opening remarks on progress made since the enactment:
| Rep. Hinojosa: "That year, in 1972, just as Title IX was enacted, women earned nearly 28% of the Bachelor's degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, better known as the STEM fields. Today, women earn 49% of the Bachelor's degrees in these fields. Title IX shattered the myth that women and girls were not interested in competing in interscholastic athletics. Since the enactment of Title IX, the number of women participating in inter-collegiate athletics has increased five-fold. The number of female high school athletes has grown by almost 900%." |
National Women's Law Center Co-President Marsha Greenberger gives opening testimony on the challenges still remaining:
| Marsha Greenberger: "Thirty-five years after the enactment of Title IX, women are still given fewer opportunities than males to participate in sports, and even when schools give girls a chance to play, too often that opportunity comes with second rate facilities, equipment, coaching, publicity, and other services." |
UPDATE: See the Committee's summary of the hearing, as well as Chairman Miller's statement commemorating the anniversary:
"Thirty-five years ago, Congress created the landmark Title IX law to ensure that women receive equal rights that offer the same protections, treatment, and opportunities as men. This vital civil rights law made clear that discrimination based on gender was unacceptable in our society. In the years since its creation, Title IX has helped bridge the gap of opportunity between men and women, and has paved the way for generations of female athletes, doctors, astronauts, scientists, and politicians -- leaders of our country and role models for young women and men. This past November, Americans elected the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives -- an historic day for this country and a strong indication of how far we have come. Without this law, the doors of opportunity for countless women who have made important contributions to our country would not have been opened."While tremendous progress has been made to root out gender discrimination and inequalities, there is still a great deal of work ahead in order to truly level the playing field between men and women. Despite the advancements that Title IX has made on behalf of all Americans, the Bush administration has shamefully worked to turn back the clock on this progress -- weakening critical Title IX protections. As the report released today by the National Women's Law Center shows, female athletes in particular have been harmed by the administration's poor enforcement of regulations that were designed to create fairness in athletic programs. And the overall damage caused by the administration's enforcement failures extends to other educational programs, by keeping schools and institutions from having to fully comply with the law.
"Now more than ever, we must provide every student -- male or female -- with an equal and excellent education that prepares them to become valuable members of our workforce. As we renew the nation's higher education and elementary and secondary education laws this year, it is critical that we strengthen and enforce Title IX, and conduct oversight to ensure that the law is being implemented as intended. One of the top priorities of this Congress is to grow and strengthen America's middle class. Nothing is more central to that goal than eliminating discrimination and ensuring that every American has an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams."