Most people think that because Title IX has been around for so long (for 50+ years) that everything in school sports must be equal by now. Surprisingly, this is not the case. Girls’ sports still lack many of the opportunities that boys’ sports get.
Educators are not trained in how Title IX applies to sports, and most parents and students are not familiar with how the law works. This allows inequities to persist.
It takes students, parents, alumni and others to speak up and promote equity for girls' and women's school sports. To learn about Title IX and sports, watch our short explainer video. In just three minutes you will learn the basics of how the law applies to sports. You can also learn about how Title IX applies to sports on our FAQ page.
Below we share some easy things that you can do to advance equality for all.
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Joel De Leon, pexels
Specific advice for students, athletes, and alumni
There are several things you can do:
- Contact the alumni office, the president, and the head of athletics. Share the data and your concerns and hopes for the school to treat women athletes fairly. Share any data viz by clicking “Share” at the bottom right of the viz and then copy the link.
- If you are in a position to financially support women’s sports or if what you have learned may impact your future giving, let your college know.
- If you are close with other alumni, reach out collectively. There is power in numbers.
- Contact us to discuss how you might approach the college in a constructive way.
- Contact local news, radio, or tv stations and see if they are interested in investigating the story.
- Use social media to spread the word - include the @name of your school and #AccelerateEquity.
Accelerate Equity provides a starting point for a conversation. Because the data have not been easily visible until now, it is possible that beyond the people who report the data, other college or university administrators may not be aware of whether their school is treating women athletes equitably.
There are several things you can do:
- Reach out to your school newspaper and share what you learned along with any personal experiences of inequitable treatment. Student journalists are often looking for stories to investigate and can be a powerful force for change.
- Contact us - We can refer you to a lawyer who is an expert in Title IX law. They will assess whether or not your school is in compliance. Sometimes just an initial contact from an attorney is enough for a school to realize that the best path forward is to treat all athletes fairly.
- Contact the National Women’s Law Center. They will offer advice and can connect you with attorneys. They also have a hotline – (202) 319-3053.
- > Contact the Women’s Sports Foundation hotline at 800.227.3988. They will provide advice and can connect you with attorneys.
- Contact your school’s Title IX coordinator. - All schools that receive federal funding should have a Title IX Coordinator. This person is responsible for Title IX compliance and should be able to help. Your campus directory can tell you who this person is and how to contact them.
- File a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education, if you feel that you have been adversely affected by your school’s failure to follow the law. This describes how to file a complaint and here is a fillable pdf form that can be used to file a complaint. However, at this time we do not recommend this option.
- Share the data on social media – include the @name of your school and #AccelerateEquity.
Joel De Leon, pexels
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