Title IX: A Brief History with Documents

by Susan Ware

Title IX represents a watershed in the history of girls' and women's education. In 1971, the year before Title IX was passed, fewer than 295,000 high school girls and 30,000 college women participated in their schools' athletic programs. By 2001, those numbers had increased to 2.8 million and 150,000, respectively. Through this rich collection of documents, Susan Ware shows how athletics, once viewed as a privilege, came to be seen as a right. In her introduction, she examines Title IX within the broader social and legislative history of the late twentieth century, providing her readers with a clear account of the changes taking place in educational institutions and in athletics more specifically. Her selections, each accompanied by a headnote providing context, offer a wide variety of perspectives, highlighting controversies surrounding the legislation that continue to the present. Document headnotes, a chronology, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography offer additional pedagogical support.

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Susan Ware, celebrated feminist historian and biographer, is the author of American Women’s History: A Very Short Introduction and Letter to the World: Seven Women Who Shaped the American Century, among other books. She is the editor of American Women’s Suffrage: Voices from the Long Struggle for the Vote, 1776–1965 and is Honorary Women’s Suffrage Centennial Historian at Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library.

Reviews

[Richard Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I was interested in the development of Title IX. I was also interested in learning the laws, regulations and court cases associated with the law and women’s athletics. The first part of the book largely served that purpose. The second part of the book was a series of articles and perspectives on the impact of the Title IX. These articles were probably geared towards starting classroom discussions. All in all, a good starter book for people interested in Title IX.

Favorite quote:
“It’s OK to have sympathy for every male who loses his opportunity to play, but you must have unbiased sympathy. You have to feel just as sorry for every woman who didn’t have the chance to play, for women who still, at the institutional level, are not getting chances to play, who are not getting benefits, and you simply can’t discriminate on the basis of sex in your empathy.”

[Gray Jabaji · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for school and had some experience with learning about title ix prior to reading. there was a mix of pro title ix and anti title ix sources but not many anti title ix sources, i think there should have been more anti title ix stuff.

[Mariah O’Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and full of information. I learned a lot more about Title IX and how it came about. Again had to read this book for my women's history course.

[Hella Smella · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellently curated, rigorous collection. hits all the important parts of T9 through the 43rd administration.