Title IX: A Technical Approach

On June 23, 1972, "Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972" was made a law[1]. Since this day, many changes have been made to increase the power and scope of Title IX. In 1979, the Carter administration developed a "three-prong test" to determine an institution's compliance to Title IX. According to this test, an institution must 1) have opportunities in proportion of gender ratio of the student population, 2) be seeking to expand athletic opportunities for the underrepresented sex, or 3) accommodate the underrepresented sex according to their interest. In general, Title IX covers several areas including access to higher education and employment among the sexes, education for pregnant and parenting students, education in math and sciences, sexual harassment, and standardized testing [2]. In the 1992 case of Franklin v Gwinnett County Public Schools, the US Supreme Court ruled that schools not supporting Title IX could be sued for compensatory and punitive damages. Title IX encourages institutions to give equal scholarship funding for each sex, even though most athletic programs do not receive Federal funding. Today, the many aspects of Title IX seek to provide equal opportunities for individuals regardless of gender in athletics, academics and the workforce.