Title IX, a portion of the Education Amendments of 1972, states that "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,...." (with some exceptions including religious and military), see http://www.dol.gov/oasam/regs/statutes/titleix.htm. Title IX is most well-known for its impact on women's sports in public education. I was ten when this passed, so felt very little of it affect my own life or those of my peers.
As I drive by the many schools and parks of my town, I see girls playing soccer and softball as much as I do boys. I wonder what these girls would think if I told them that a few short years ago they wouldn't even be considered for a college soccer team or a national softball team? I look at my daughters' friends who went to college on scholarships and came out with a degree and the self discipline required to compete in a sport at the college level plus carry a full load of classes. I especially think about those girls who would not have had the opportunity to go to college without the financial help that they earned by excelling in their field of sport, particularly those who are the first college graduates of their family. What a different world we live in compared to when I went to college.
