[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 93 (Friday, June 27, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF TITLE IX

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 1997

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues today in 
commemorating the 25th anniversary of a civil rights law that has 
changed the way American girls and women think about themselves and 
their futures.
  Title IX prohibits gender discrimination in education programs. Title 
IX is not just about access to sports and it is an integral player in 
gender equity. Greater atheltic opportunity does build leadership and 
teamwork skills that serve every person throughout his or her life. 
More women have received higher education in the past 25 years through 
athletic scholarships. The ratio of high school girls playing sports 
has gone from 1 in 27 to 1 in 3.
  With the recent success of women Olympic athletes and the unveiling 
of a new professional women's basketball league, we do not lack 
athletic role models for young girls. Women's participation in 
collegiate sports has risen from 2 percent in 1972 to 35 percent in 
1996. But title IX has also provided more lasting academic results, 
increasing the participation of girls and women in non-traditional 
educational and professional environments--math, science, engineering 
and technology.
  Today we celebrate 25 years of women's achievement through sports and 
education. But we know that the progress we have made is not near 
enough. Today the National Coalition of Girls and Women in Education 
ranked the United States with a grade of `C'' in gender equity in 
education. Enforcement of title IX has been inconsistent at best over 
the last 25 years All but two states have eliminated or reduced title 
IX enforcement staff positions, despite the federal law's requirement 
that each state department of education must have a Title IX designee.
  Title IX services provide training for school districts on sexual 
harassment in schools, identify and address gender bias in classrooms, 
support programs to infuse women's history into school curriculums. 
They assist young women in forming a strong identity, receiving support 
from peers and learning how to interact effectively with others.
  Title IX and other programs supportive of girls' education send a 
clear message to American girls that their education and future is 
important. As a mother of four adult daughters, I have seen the 
positive results. We are seeing a generation of young women growing in 
an environment that does not make them limit themselves by identifying 
roles or opportunities as ``men's'' or ``women's''. Young women today 
believe than can do anything. And they can. And we have a great 
repsonsibility to do all that we can to support them in that belief.

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