The Pros And Cons Of Title IX
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” is what Title IX says as part of the Education Amendments. Passed by the US Congress in June and signed into law on July 1, 1972, it’s most notable for advancing equity in girls and women’s sports. It was only after Title IX was passed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and other high school administrators thought boys’ sports would suffer if girls’ sports were to be funded equally. The real battle began under presidents Reagan and Bush, when enforcement of Title IX came to a halt. In the court case Grove City v. Bell, the Supreme Court ruled that Title IX did not cover all educations institutions, only programs who were directly receiving federal funds. This meant other programs, like athletics, not being funded by federal funds, could be free to discriminate on the basis of gender. Since then there have been numerous cases in the 90s that deal with collegiate level sports and the amount of money in the women’s athletics
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that have been cut compared to the men’s budget. In 1996, an amendment in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act went into effect allowing students and prospective students the ability to ask a university’s athletic department for a report on funding and participation rates broken down by gender. Many women around the country have filed for civil rights complaints and lawsuits against their colleges and high schools in order to enforce gender equality. Overall, these complaints and lawsuits have been successful. The result of Title IX is mostly beneficial. It’s offered the opportunity for women to participate in sports and have more equitable facilities. Statistics has shown that women who were under 10 when it was passed have a much higher participation in sports compared to women who grew up before Title IX. But Title IX hasn’t only helped with the participation in sports and an increase in athleticism in women. Title IX, also as the New Paltz website states, "extends to sexual harassment and sexual assault or violence that impairs or interferes with access to equitable educational and employment opportunities". As an athlete, I know that every team at SUNY New Paltz has to sit in on a Title IX meeting and review what consent means. Each gender has separate meetings, where women are taught to never travel anywhere alone, never leave a drink unattended, and know your limits. We are taught it’s not our fault, and we are allowed to change our mind and “no means no.” Men are taught something along the lines of that when a girl means no; it’s not her teasing you and you should never take advantage of a girl who’s incapacitated. Title IX is teaching male athletes well and that it’s all about a woman’s consent, and nothing can happen if both of you don’t agree on it.
As Susan Griffin wrote the article Rape: The All-American Crime, “ […] in our culture male eroticism is wedded to power. No only should a man be taller and stronger than a female in the perfect love match, but he must also demonstrate superior strength in gestures of dominance which are perceived as amorous.” (Griffin 515) A deep societal desire to be superior can be seen even more in sports, where male superiority is expected, and men who aren’t “beating” their female counterparts feel embarrassed and emasculated. I have personally known men who will lift more weight than they actually can if they feel the weight a woman is lifting is close to
theirs. But women also play a part in this masculinity complex, as Pamela Fletcher wrote in her article Whose Body Is It, Anyway?, “ [we] females often think we are not entitled to ourselves, and many times we give ourselves away for less than a song. The sad truth of the matter is that his is how we have managed to survive in our male-dominated culture.” (523) She’s right though, women devalue themselves because we are taught men should be more valuable than we are in sports, academics, and the workplace. And now, we think we’re “lucky” if we can get a guy to even sleep with us, when in reality we should be the one calling the shots not the men. The only way we look good is draped over a man, and so we lower our expectations that we shouldn’t have to lower, because we are all taught that we need to be married and that might never happen if we’re “too picky.” All this being said, there still is a lot of progress that needs to be done in handling violence against women. I believe we will never make progress until we deal with the root of the problem, and it’s not the women or the victim. Women are seen as the weak and so we are constantly educated on how we should protect ourselves and what we shouldn’t do so we don’t get raped but we never speak of the other spectrum- the one who is raping. Statistics have shown that the majority of violence against women is done by men and so we need to start with them. I think that if feminists could allow male allies into the fight against violence against women then our voice could reach a wider spectrum of people. By showing that women aren’t “man haters” but rather allies with males and we are working together to solve a problem, we can slowly make progress. Male allies can teach their sons that a woman isn’t a piece of property to be owned. Peggy Reeves Sanday speaks about whether rape culture, in recent years, has gotten better or worse. The sexual culture has grown, although many more college students are becoming aware and more surveys are conducted to measure student experience with rape while at college. These are never the ideal answers people want to hear though Sanday states, “ […] for a few older male students the wild sexual narcissism of rape-prone campus sexual cultures is considered shallow and not particularly gratifying.” (536) But, this shows that we cannot use one blanket statement to define how men act around women and the assumptions all they want is sex. Men should be allowed into this battle, and although a lot of feminists might disagree, men are our greatest weapon to get what we want. There are multiple men’s groups that have been put together to help put an end to violence against women. One group that’s been around since the second wave of feminism is The National Organization for Men Against Sexism. In their Statement of Principles, it reads “[m]en can live as happier and more fulfilled human beings by challenging the old-fashioned rules of masculinity that embody the assumption of male superiority.” Although this isn’t directly correlated to women’s rights issues, by having organizations that support and encourage positive attitudes towards all races, sexualities, religions, etc. this makes for powerful allies that can contribute to the women’s movement on a larger scale. Using the skills and information that they’ve been taught and the belief that everyone is equal, it can spread to their friends, family, acquaintances even. The truth of the matter is that their actions are more likely to influence someone. This is how organizations like this contribute to women’s movements on a larger scale. The organization A Call To Men “[w]orks to create a world where all men and boys are loving and respectful and all women and girls are valued and safe.” They are an organization rooted in violence prevention, who educate and train men, boys, and communities to promote a “more healthy and respectful definition of manhood.” They teach men to recognize the violence and discrimination against women is rooted in the traditional way society views them. They wish to create a better world for the next generations, of daughters and grand-daughters. “We envision men as part of the solution - as viewing women as true equals, considering a woman’s humanity before her body parts, and no longer believing that when she is in a relationship, she is a man’s property.” This organization wishes to be allies with feminists, and part of the step to equal rights is to have women let men into the movement because if it’s exclusive then men won’t realize they’re capable of fixing the problem. All women are affected differently by the violence against them. African American and Latino women are pre-judged and have many negative stereotypes about them that contribute to their mistreatment. Women of color are sexualized to an extreme, more than white women and so when they are sexually assaulted it’s because they were “asking for it.” Many also believe that African-American and Latino cultures are violent; “therefore women in these cultures experience violence of sexual assault as “normal.” Even at hospitals or police stations, women of color might be treated with less respect that white women and can face even more victim-blaming and disbelief that assault even took place. Asian women, especially in traditional households, they ay be faced with the traditional value of suffering in silence or risk dishonoring their family. In the article Selective Storytelling: A Critique of US Media Coverage Regarding Violence Against Indian Women ,written by Sharmila Lodhia writes, “ [t]he show [Oprah] not only relied on oversimplifications that distorted many aspects of these forms of violence, but also noticeably ignored the very tangible similarities between these crimes and parallel crimes of domestic-violence-related homicide in the United State.” (506) Women all over the world experience violence against them and to look on with a sense of disgust and “voyeuristic pleasure” without analyzing your own culture first through a lens where there are such similarities between the two is unfair to their culture and can be seen as hypocritical. Violence against women is a serious issue and the goal to have men look at this abuse and harassment from another angle other than the lens of superiority and dominating masculinity that they’ve been taught is important to decreasing the amount of women who are inflicted violence upon. Preventing them from ever growing up thinking they have to be the dominating source in a relationship can be key in helping to accomplish the goal. The way parents act and the dynamic of parents can have a huge impact on a child’s view of a healthy relationship as well. The media should stop broadcasting the same stereotypical expectations for men that they think they have to be. If every man a child ever sees through the media has straight teeth, sculpted body and exudes the perfect amount of masculinity and a sensitive side, they’re going to feel the pressure of society for them to mold into this macho, buff and mysterious man when that’s not possible for everyone to achieve. The media is where most men feel the pressure to be extremely masculine and if you’re not, then you’re inferior or a “faggot”, and if you don’t have a hot girlfriend that you’re having sex with every night than you’re waisting your teenage years. If we continue to perpetuate this ideal, nothing can really be solved.
that have been cut compared to the men’s budget. In 1996, an amendment in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act went into effect allowing students and prospective students the ability to ask a university’s athletic department for a report on funding and participation rates broken down by gender. Many women around the country have filed for civil rights complaints and lawsuits against their colleges and high schools in order to enforce gender equality. Overall, these complaints and lawsuits have been successful. The result of Title IX is mostly beneficial. It’s offered the opportunity for women to participate in sports and have more equitable facilities. Statistics has shown that women who were under 10 when it was passed have a much higher participation in sports compared to women who grew up before Title IX. But Title IX hasn’t only helped with the participation in sports and an increase in athleticism in women. Title IX, also as the New Paltz website states, "extends to sexual harassment and sexual assault or violence that impairs or interferes with access to equitable educational and employment opportunities". As an athlete, I know that every team at SUNY New Paltz has to sit in on a Title IX meeting and review what consent means. Each gender has separate meetings, where women are taught to never travel anywhere alone, never leave a drink unattended, and know your limits. We are taught it’s not our fault, and we are allowed to change our mind and “no means no.” Men are taught something along the lines of that when a girl means no; it’s not her teasing you and you should never take advantage of a girl who’s incapacitated. Title IX is teaching male athletes well and that it’s all about a woman’s consent, and nothing can happen if both of you don’t agree on it.
As Susan Griffin wrote the article Rape: The All-American Crime, “ […] in our culture male eroticism is wedded to power. No only should a man be taller and stronger than a female in the perfect love match, but he must also demonstrate superior strength in gestures of dominance which are perceived as amorous.” (Griffin 515) A deep societal desire to be superior can be seen even more in sports, where male superiority is expected, and men who aren’t “beating” their female counterparts feel embarrassed and emasculated. I have personally known men who will lift more weight than they actually can if they feel the weight a woman is lifting is close to
theirs. But women also play a part in this masculinity complex, as Pamela Fletcher wrote in her article Whose Body Is It, Anyway?, “ [we] females often think we are not entitled to ourselves, and many times we give ourselves away for less than a song. The sad truth of the matter is that his is how we have managed to survive in our male-dominated culture.” (523) She’s right though, women devalue themselves because we are taught men should be more valuable than we are in sports, academics, and the workplace. And now, we think we’re “lucky” if we can get a guy to even sleep with us, when in reality we should be the one calling the shots not the men. The only way we look good is draped over a man, and so we lower our expectations that we shouldn’t have to lower, because we are all taught that we need to be married and that might never happen if we’re “too picky.” All this being said, there still is a lot of progress that needs to be done in handling violence against women. I believe we will never make progress until we deal with the root of the problem, and it’s not the women or the victim. Women are seen as the weak and so we are constantly educated on how we should protect ourselves and what we shouldn’t do so we don’t get raped but we never speak of the other spectrum- the one who is raping. Statistics have shown that the majority of violence against women is done by men and so we need to start with them. I think that if feminists could allow male allies into the fight against violence against women then our voice could reach a wider spectrum of people. By showing that women aren’t “man haters” but rather allies with males and we are working together to solve a problem, we can slowly make progress. Male allies can teach their sons that a woman isn’t a piece of property to be owned. Peggy Reeves Sanday speaks about whether rape culture, in recent years, has gotten better or worse. The sexual culture has grown, although many more college students are becoming aware and more surveys are conducted to measure student experience with rape while at college. These are never the ideal answers people want to hear though Sanday states, “ […] for a few older male students the wild sexual narcissism of rape-prone campus sexual cultures is considered shallow and not particularly gratifying.” (536) But, this shows that we cannot use one blanket statement to define how men act around women and the assumptions all they want is sex. Men should be allowed into this battle, and although a lot of feminists might disagree, men are our greatest weapon to get what we want. There are multiple men’s groups that have been put together to help put an end to violence against women. One group that’s been around since the second wave of feminism is The National Organization for Men Against Sexism. In their Statement of Principles, it reads “[m]en can live as happier and more fulfilled human beings by challenging the old-fashioned rules of masculinity that embody the assumption of male superiority.” Although this isn’t directly correlated to women’s rights issues, by having organizations that support and encourage positive attitudes towards all races, sexualities, religions, etc. this makes for powerful allies that can contribute to the women’s movement on a larger scale. Using the skills and information that they’ve been taught and the belief that everyone is equal, it can spread to their friends, family, acquaintances even. The truth of the matter is that their actions are more likely to influence someone. This is how organizations like this contribute to women’s movements on a larger scale. The organization A Call To Men “[w]orks to create a world where all men and boys are loving and respectful and all women and girls are valued and safe.” They are an organization rooted in violence prevention, who educate and train men, boys, and communities to promote a “more healthy and respectful definition of manhood.” They teach men to recognize the violence and discrimination against women is rooted in the traditional way society views them. They wish to create a better world for the next generations, of daughters and grand-daughters. “We envision men as part of the solution - as viewing women as true equals, considering a woman’s humanity before her body parts, and no longer believing that when she is in a relationship, she is a man’s property.” This organization wishes to be allies with feminists, and part of the step to equal rights is to have women let men into the movement because if it’s exclusive then men won’t realize they’re capable of fixing the problem. All women are affected differently by the violence against them. African American and Latino women are pre-judged and have many negative stereotypes about them that contribute to their mistreatment. Women of color are sexualized to an extreme, more than white women and so when they are sexually assaulted it’s because they were “asking for it.” Many also believe that African-American and Latino cultures are violent; “therefore women in these cultures experience violence of sexual assault as “normal.” Even at hospitals or police stations, women of color might be treated with less respect that white women and can face even more victim-blaming and disbelief that assault even took place. Asian women, especially in traditional households, they ay be faced with the traditional value of suffering in silence or risk dishonoring their family. In the article Selective Storytelling: A Critique of US Media Coverage Regarding Violence Against Indian Women ,written by Sharmila Lodhia writes, “ [t]he show [Oprah] not only relied on oversimplifications that distorted many aspects of these forms of violence, but also noticeably ignored the very tangible similarities between these crimes and parallel crimes of domestic-violence-related homicide in the United State.” (506) Women all over the world experience violence against them and to look on with a sense of disgust and “voyeuristic pleasure” without analyzing your own culture first through a lens where there are such similarities between the two is unfair to their culture and can be seen as hypocritical. Violence against women is a serious issue and the goal to have men look at this abuse and harassment from another angle other than the lens of superiority and dominating masculinity that they’ve been taught is important to decreasing the amount of women who are inflicted violence upon. Preventing them from ever growing up thinking they have to be the dominating source in a relationship can be key in helping to accomplish the goal. The way parents act and the dynamic of parents can have a huge impact on a child’s view of a healthy relationship as well. The media should stop broadcasting the same stereotypical expectations for men that they think they have to be. If every man a child ever sees through the media has straight teeth, sculpted body and exudes the perfect amount of masculinity and a sensitive side, they’re going to feel the pressure of society for them to mold into this macho, buff and mysterious man when that’s not possible for everyone to achieve. The media is where most men feel the pressure to be extremely masculine and if you’re not, then you’re inferior or a “faggot”, and if you don’t have a hot girlfriend that you’re having sex with every night than you’re waisting your teenage years. If we continue to perpetuate this ideal, nothing can really be solved.