46 Years of Title IX: Fight for Equity in Education Rages On

WASHINGTON — American Association of University Women (AAUW) Chief Executive Officer Kim Churches issued the following statement in recognition of the 46th anniversary of landmark civil rights law, Title IX.

“In the 46 years since Congress passed Title IX, there have been great advancements moving toward the equalizing intent of the landmark law:

• Women now make up 56 percent of America’s college students.
• Women hold nearly half (48 percent) of all tenure-track positions.
• Since the passage of Title IX, the number of female athletes climbed more than tenfold to 3 million or 42 percent of all high school athletes.

But, nearly half a century later, consider that we still live in a world where:

• One in five women will experience sexual assault on campus.
• Nearly half of students in grades 7–12 report facing sexual harassment.
• Women and girls are still underrepresented in most STEM

Women and girls still do not have equal educational experiences or opportunities.  In 1972, AAUW was at the forefront of advocating for the passage of Title IX, and we continue to fight to realize the full intent of the law, to ensure all students receive an education free from sex discrimination at every level of education across the land.  In a year where there have been roll backs to the enforcement of the law, we need to push even harder to ensure it is protected and vigorously carried out.

Today, AAUW is calling on Congress to pass the Patsy Mink and Louise Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act (GEEA) of 2018 to strengthen Title IX and extend it even further by providing resources, training, and technical assistance to support full implementation of the law.  We applaud Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA) for the re-introduction of this very important bill.  It’s time to finally pass it and level the playing field for all students.”

For media inquiries, contact Mary Hickey at hickeym@aauw.org or 202.785.7756.