Title IX: A Social Justice Issue

Title IX: A Social Justice Issue

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance. (Preamble to Title IX)

Title IX was a social justice landmark for women in the United States. Women who directly benefited from Title IX were athletes, as it gave them opportunities to participate in sports in schools, receive the same amount of funding as the male sports programs, and for the first time gave women the opportunities to earn scholarships for sports. Indirectly, Title IX had an impact on all women in the United States, because it entitled them equal opportunity to education and created a provision against sexual discrimination. Title IX changed the expectations of women by giving them the opportunity to choose and compete, athletically, scholastically, professionally, politically, economically and socially.

Each Federal department and agency which is empowered to extend Federal financial assistance to any education program or activity, by way of grant, loan, or contract other than a contract of insurance or guaranty, is authorized and directed to effectuate the provisions of section 1681 of this title with respect to such program or activity by issuing rules, regulations, or orders of general applicability which shall be consistent with achievement of the objectives of the statute authorizing the financial assistance in connection with which the action is taken. (Title IX section 1682)

The visible effects of Title IX were mainly seen in the athletic arena, but the subtle effects of Title IX came to all women in the United States in the fo...

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...y a recipient of Federal financial assistance for any education program or activity; but nothing herein shall be construed to require any such institution to provide any special services to such person because of his blindness or visual impairment. (Title IX section 1684)

This section of Title IX affects both men and women; visually impaired individuals were not only limited by their vision, but also by the stigma that society placed on them. Title IX removes much of this stigma by prohibiting discrimination against visually impaired persons. The importance of Title IX extends beyond just the changes it brought for female athletes; it brought about social progress by removing stereotypes and discrimination. It brought about social awareness of the different forms of discrimination in existence in the United States and changed the dynamics between men and women.