🎉 🎂 Happy 44th birthday to Title IX! 🎂 🎉
Pop quiz! In which of the following areas does Title IX help ensure gender equity?
A. Fairness in school admissions
B. Access to athletics
C. Protection from sexual harassment and sexual assault
D. Opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
E. All of the above
If you answered E, you are correct!
Many people think that Title IX exclusively addresses gender equity in school athletics, but the law has a much broader focus.
Signed into law on June 23, 1972, Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity — public or private — when it comes to receiving federal funds.
The law applies to every aspect of educational activities from preschool through higher education, including admissions, recruitment, academics, employment, athletics, and student services.
Title IX is widely recognized for its role in the huge growth of women’s athletic programs, but imagine if we made as much progress inthe other aspects Title IX covers as we have with sports.
That women and girls still face discrimination on campus is why it’s so important to spread the word that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently released three sorely needed tools: a letter to schools reiterating the importance of Title IX coordinators, a thank-you letter directly to coordinators reaffirming their roles, and a free resource manual to guide their actions. Every school is required to appoint a Title IX coordinator to help prevent discrimination at her or his school, but before now the coordinators had few resources to do their jobs. And many schools haven’t appointed a coordinator at all.
The Office for Civil Rights has provided schools and Title IX coordinators with resources they need to independently act and address complaints, just in time for school to start. But we need you to help spread the word.
Because one is too many. Take action.
Your Guide to Awkward Family Conversations about Sexism
You’ve survived Thanksgiving, but you might not be past all the awkward family discussions yet to come. But don’t worry — we’ve got your back! Here’s your handy guide to responding to common misperceptions about gender and advocacy that might come up this season.
Your dad says, “We don’t even need Title IX anymore. Women get to play sports already. Plus, no one watches women’s sports anyway!”
First things first, let’s remind dear old dad that this summer’s Women’s World Cup final was the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history!
Title IX, which has been credited with helping develop the Women’s National Team itself, plays a critical role in ensuring equity in school athletics. But it’s about so much more than that! The crucial law prevents discrimination in all areas of education, including admissions; recruitment; access to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields; campus sexual harassment and assault; tenure; and more.
Your cousin says, “The gender pay gap doesn’t exist. Women are paid less because they take lower-paying jobs and take time off. Duh!”
We wish the gender pay gap didn’t exist! But the reality is that the pay gap is all math, not myth. Altogether, women working full time, year round in the United States in 2014 were paid only 79 percent of what men were paid. But that’s not the whole story: Mothers and women of color make even less.
According to AAUW’s research, the pay gap occurs in nearly every occupation, including both low– and high-paying jobs. And it can’t be explained away by women’s choices. Our 2012 report found that women face a pay gap even after accounting for (are you ready for this?) college major, occupation, economic sector, hours worked, months unemployed since graduation, GPA, type of undergraduate institution, institution selectivity, age, geographical region, and marital status. Phew!
Your sister says, “I wouldn’t vote for a woman president. They’re too sensitive!”
Whether it’s commenting on women leaders’ looks or likability or questioning their abilities, sexism is common when discussing women political candidates. Language matters. Calling assertive girls “bossy” or confident women “bitchy” reinforces negative stereotypes and biases about women’s leadership. Women are qualified to run for office. And when they do run, they win at the same rates as men. It’s critical to challenge gender bias and empower young women to run for office!
Your aunt says, “Millennials are so lazy. All they do is play on their phones.”
Sorry, auntie, but research suggests otherwise! According to one study, young adults throughout the United States are volunteering at higher levels than ever before. Student activists, including AAUW student leaders, are consistently taking action to challenge the status quo and lead the fight for social justice. From serving as U.N. youth representatives to (successfully) fighting to establish campus sexual assault crisis centers, young people across the country are making a difference.
If some feminist wisdom doesn’t help, we have your back if you literally can’t even.
Sometimes, people just can’t be persuaded by the facts. In those moments, we recommend a strong dose of Adele.
Read the full blog.
Congrats to Lady Gaga on the Grammy nomination for “Till it Happens To You.”
Gaga released this powerful music video in coordination with the release of The Hunting Ground, the moving documentary about campus sexual assault.
- Want more? Here’s are six other awesome music videos pushing to end sexual and domestic violence.
- Inspired to take action? Here’s AAUW’s campus sexual assault tool kit.
Here’s the real reason 9 out of 10 colleges reported no rapes last year
A new analysis of campus crime data has revealed that 91 percent of U.S. colleges had no reported cases of rape in 2014, according to the American Association of University Women.
That should be good news, but we know sexual assault is far more common than that. A 2014 survey of more than 150,000 students across the country found that nearly one in four college women had experienced sexual violence on campus. And under the Clery Act, a school is required to report every sex crime that happens on its grounds to the Department of Education.
So, why do the latest DOE numbers appear to clash with national statistics?
9 in 10 Colleges Reported No Sexual Assaults in 2014
“What these zeros really tell us is that students don’t feel comfortable coming forward with formal reports at these schools,” says Lisa M. Maatz, vice president of government relations at AAUW.
According to data just released by the Department of Education, 91 percent of colleges reported ZERO incidents of rape in 2014.
…Um, what?
We *wish* these statistics weren’t too good to be true. After all, how can institutions proactively working end campus sexual assault if the severity of the problem isn’t recognized? Read AAUW’s analysis.
It’s about time this made front page news.
Props to the washingtonpost for making campus sexual assault the cover of today’s newspaper.
According to a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 20 percent of young women who attended college during the past four years say they were sexually assaulted, But the circle of victims on the nation’s campuses is probably even larger. In all, the poll found, 25 percent of young women and 7 percent of young men say they suffered unwanted sexual incidents in college.
READ MORE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2015/06/12/1-in-5-women-say-they-were-violated/
Think colleges should be held accountable for sexual assault? We do. Tell your Rep. to support the HALT Act: bit.ly/HALTact