Title IX turns 30

It has been credited with causing a revolution in women's athletics. The 1972 enactment of Title IX, which mandated that high schools and colleges provide equal athletic opportunities to men and women, is said to have leveled the playing field for women. The success of American women athletes at the 1996 Summer Olympics, most notably the gold medals in team sports such as basketball, softball and soccer, is often singled out as evidence of the importance of equal access and equal funding for women's athletics.

As Title IX celebrates its 30th birthday, the law's impact on women's sports and American society has been clearly documented.

  In 1971, the year before Title IX became law, fewer than 300,000 girls participated in high school sports, about one in 27. Today, the number approaches 3 million, or approximately one in 2.5.

  The number of women participating in intercollegiate sports in that same time span has gone from about 30,000 to more than 150,000. In the last 20 years alone, the number of women's college teams has nearly doubled.

"The 30-year legacy of Title IX is the opportunity for women to get a college education and, second, to get better at a particular skill," tennis great Billie Jean King said. "It has made a huge difference for women's team sports, and it created an infrastructure for women to pursue their passion in sports."

A study released earlier this year, "From the Locker Room to the Boardroom: A Survey on Sports in the Lives of Women Business Executives," found that 81 percent of women executives had participated in high school or college sports. They credited skills learned on the playing field--discipline, team building, competitiveness, risk taking--for much of their business success.
 

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