Turn on your TV and you will see it: women athletes.  Olympic gymnasts flying in the air, track, and field athletes running miles, or skiers racing down slopes. You might’ve seen women participate in events, but do you know what life was like for women without these sports opportunities?  Before 1973, women could play sports, they just didn’t have equality with men’s sports.                                                                                                                                                                         

Without women’s sports, there would be no Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Billie Jean King, Megan Rapino, or Brittany Griner.  When girls watch women athletes competing, they see that it is possible for them, too.  Role models are important. 

Take a second to think about this.  Girls can play sports now, but what about decades ago when there wasn’t anything available?  For girls in school, there were clubs they could join or music groups they could participate in.  For boys, they had many sports opportunities.

While girls got few chances to do sports, the boys had no restrictions.  It is believed that “Men on average run faster, lift more weight, and throw harder and farther than women.”  Open a yearbook from decades ago, and you will see page after page of men's athletics and few women's athletics. 

The idea of girls playing sports definitely changed millions of lives and history.  Opportunities for girls to do some physical activity increased tremendously, and thanks to Title IX, we can all enjoy sports in different parts of the world.

1. Title IX Overview

Title IX states that institutions receiving federal funds can not exclude students from participating in educational and athletic programs on the basis of sex.

Title IX of the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972.  Title IX, however, went through all three branches of government when representative Patsy T. Mink of Hawaii presented it to Congress.

When Patsy T. Mink died in 2002, Title IX was renamed the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.  She was given the Medal of Freedom after her death.

Specifically, Title IX states, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

2. Benefits of Title IX

Fifty years later, Title IX paved the way for millions of girls and women.  It gives them free access to equal opportunity in our nation’s schools.  It has been instrumental in combating sexual assault and violence.

Title IX also helps protect students from sexual harassment and sexual violence in educational institutions.  It also protects against other forms of harassment in educational settings.

Title IX protects the rights of pregnant and parenting students by prohibiting schools from applying any rule concerning parental, family, or marital status.

Participating in formal sports in schools has helped women build their self-esteem and body image.  Another benefit of Title IX gave women the chance to do endurance sports, not including much strength or speed with men.

3. Percentage of Women Playing Sports

Title IX gives women athletes the equal right to opportunity in sports and to participate at educational institutions that receive federal funds.

In 1972, there were just over 300,000 women and girls playing college and high school sports in the United States. Female athletes received 2 percent of college athletic budgets, while athletic scholarships for women were virtually nonexistent.

From 1973 to 2018, the number of high school athletes increased from 24.2% to 42.9%.  Before Title IX, 15% of all college athletes were female.  Today, it’s 44%. 

In 2016, 1 in 5 girls in the United States played sports.  Before Title IX, it was 1 in 27.

4. Places Women Can’t Play Sports

If you think that women can play sports all around the globe, there are a few places where they won’t allow women to play sports.  “Women’s sport in Saudi Arabia has been a controversial topic for many years due to the suppression of female participation in sports.”  It is stated that “Saudi Arabia is one of only three countries in the world never to have sent a female athlete to the Olympics.”

However, the country of Saudi Arabia has “offered training programs that include physical fitness.”  However, that’s not the same.  There is a big difference between sports activities and training programs.

Like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei have never sent women to the Olympics.  However, they do not bar them from competitive sports and other women athletes have participated in international sporting competitions.

However, in 2020 Saudi Arabia announced that they are going to have their first women’s football league two years after female spectators were allowed into football matches around the country.  The league was launched in February but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

5. Violations of Title IX

Title IX applies to any school or educational institution that receives federal funds.  It works to stop sex discrimination and other related issues that affect students.  

The number one area that Title IX focuses on is athletics.  High school and college athletics are required to eliminate sex discrimination under Title IX.

In addition to athletics, Title IX also includes sexual harassment. It also covers sex-based discrimination in school's STEM courses and programs and discrimination based on pregnancy.

It is thought that the largest violation against Title IX was at the University of Southern California (USC), where they settled a lawsuit brought by 710 women who alleged a former school gynecologist, George Tyndall, of sexual assault.  The total sum was more than $1.1 billion believed to be the largest settlement ever.