California Women’s Law Center

The California Women’s Law Center (CWLC) works to ensure, through systemic change, that life opportunities for women and girls are free from unjust social, economic, and political constraints.

CWLC programs are designed to enable
individuals to use the law that governs their rights and to assist them in addressing the legal issues that perpetuate women’s growing poverty.

By focusing on Gender Discrimination,
Violence Against Women, Women’s Health and Reproductive Justice, CWLC dedicates its resources to making the constitutional promise of equality a reality, and to protecting the rights of women and girls every day.

Does Your School Play Fair?

Title IX is the landmark legislation that bans sex discrimination in schools, whether in academics or athletics. In 1972, Title IX changed the landscape of American society with its mandate of equality for every student.

By many measures, Title IX has been a tremendous success. However, even though Title IX has been law for 36 years, many schools still do not provide girls the same access to sports activities, equipment and coaching offered to boys.

It is critical that girls of all ages have the ability to develop athletically, as research has shown that the benefits of sports participation to women and girls is profound. High school girls who participate in team sports are less likely to drop out of school, smoke, drink, or become pregnant, and are more likely to go on to college. The skills gained from sports participation including teamwork, leadership, and discipline, are crucial as women progress in the corporate world at higher levels than ever before. Eighty-percent of female managers of Fortune 500 companies have played organized sports on some level.

Although the law receives a fair amount of attention from colleges and university, violations of Title IX have become so routine as to be considered tradition at the pre-collegiate level. Recent research shows that 82-percent of Americans support Title IX, but nearly 60-percent would not know how to take action under the law if their school was in violation. You can find out if your school is in compliance with Title IX with our guide Time Out: Does Your School Play Fair?