Congressional Record, Volume 148 Issue 82 (Wednesday, June 19, 2002)

[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 19, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H3703-H3709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CELEBRATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF TITLE IX

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2001, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I am here on the floor today to
mark the 30th anniversary of title IX, which was a part of the
Education Amendments Act of 1972 signed into law on June 23, 1972, 30
years ago. The few pages of title IX set a policy for the United States
in all areas of education: elementary, secondary, higher education,
graduate education; a policy that set forth explicitly that no
institution should discriminate against girls or women in the courses
and programs that they offered at these institutions, if that
institution received Federal funds. That was 1972.
Remarkably, in a very short period of time, the institutions across
America paid attention to these few words in title IX and we began to
see some very remarkable changes in our schools, in the programs that
were being offered, the number of women that were enrolled in programs
that prior to that, one could rarely ever see women students,
especially in graduate programs. And they won fellowships and they had
opportunities made available to them that were unheard of before 1972.
A number of Members of the House had indicated to me that they were
going to join in this recognition of title IX and the celebration of
the 30th anniversary. But because we were called earlier and the
program of the House ended at an early hour, many of these Members
probably are not here to be a part of it, but I know that they will be
including their remarks as part of this celebration today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-
Allard).

[[Page H3704]]

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to join my colleagues
to commemorate title IX's 30th anniversary. First I commend my
colleague and friend, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), as well
as former Oregon Congresswoman Edith Green for their invaluable
contributions and commitment to improving the lives of women in this
country. These two incredible women were the guiding spirit behind
title IX, the landmark legislation that bans schools from
discriminating on the basis of sex in academics and athletics.
Title IX was necessitated by the fact that many of our schools were
denying young women the opportunity to develop to their full potential
by putting strict limits on their enrollment or by refusing to admit
them at all. While the law applies to all education programs and
schools receiving Federal aid, it is best known for expanding athletic
opportunities for women.
Since title IX's passage in 1971, girls' participation in high school
athletics has increased an astonishing 847 percent. As a result, today,
one in three girls play varsity sports, compared to only one in 27 in
1972.
The impact on collegiate athletics level has also been incredible.
For instance, when title IX was first passed, there were 31,000 women
participating in intercollegiate athletics. Today, over 150,000 women
compete in college-level sports, an increase of over 400 percent.
Athletic activity has been a key component in helping young girls to
develop important skills such as competitiveness, teamwork, and
perseverance, qualities that are so critical to succeeding in today's
society. As a result, since the passage of title IX, we have seen
significant increases in women's educational achievements as well.
For example, in the year 2000, 43 percent of medical degrees were
awarded to women, compared to 9 percent in 1972; 46 percent of law
degrees were earned by women, compared to 7 percent in 1972; and 44
percent of all doctoral degrees went to American women, up from 25
percent in 1977.
Furthermore, title IX has proven that athletics is also a catalyst
for success in the workplace. A recent study entitled ``From the Locker
Room to the Board Room: A Survey on Sports and in the Lives of Women
Business Executives,'' surveyed America's top business executives and
found that more than four out of five executive business women played
sports growing up.
Further, the vast majority of these women reported that lessons
learned on the playing field have contributed to their success in
business.
For instance, of the women who played organized sports after grade
school, 86 percent said sports helped them to be more disciplined, 81
percent said sports helped them to function better as part of a team,
and 59 percent said sports gave them a competitive edge over others.
Clearly, title IX's influence on the lives of girls and women extends
far beyond the playing field. It has provided them with the opportunity
to gain so many of the skills that are essential to succeeding in life.
Therefore, on the 30th anniversary of title IX, it gives me great
pleasure to recognize the critical role title IX has played in securing
women's equality in sports, in academics, in the workplace, and in
life.

{time} 1515

Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her
contribution. I lived with title IX every day of my life since 1972;
and to understand that it has been 30 years, it is pretty hard to
fathom, but I deeply appreciate my colleagues coming to the floor and
sharing their own observations about title IX and helping to be a part
of this recognition today.
I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues who will
come and go to talk about title IX today, but I am particularly honored
to join with the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), the author of
title IX, on the 30th anniversary of this great program that would not
have happened without her. I thank my friend from Hawaii also for
organizing this trip tonight.
When most people think of title IX, they think of women's sports; and
the impact of title IX on women's sports can clearly be seen all over
the Nation. Title IX has increased numbers of girls and women who
participate in sports in high school and in college. Title IX has
contributed to the impressive achievements of American female athletes
at the Olympic Games, and we can see the impact of title IX when we
watch professional women's basketball and soccer teams on television
and on the field.
Title IX is an important player on every woman's sports team, but
title IX has another important role to play and that is in the
classroom, particularly in vocational and technical education classes.
Last week The Washington Post and other newspapers reported on a survey
that the National Women's Law Center did on vocational and technical
education programs in America. The results of the survey reveal that
pervasive sex segregation in vocational and technical education
programs all around the country still exist. That is bad news. The
survey found that girls are still clustered in classes which lead to
traditionally female jobs such as cosmetology, child care, health or
fashion technology. On the other hand, classes in carpentry,
electronics, and automotive programs were 85 percent male.
There is a reason why the results of this survey made the newspaper.
It is newsworthy because women make up close to half of the American
workforce and many of these working women are supporting families and
many of these working women are single moms supporting families. Sixty-
six percent of mothers with children under age 6 are working outside
the home. Seventy-seven percent of mothers of school-age children have
jobs. Most families today, whether they have two parents or a single
parent, rely on a woman's income; but that income will be considerably
less if the woman is earning a median hourly wage of $8.49 an hour as
opposed to working as a plumber who can earn an hourly wage of $30.06.
While the survey reported in the newspapers collected its data from
high schools, the problem does not stop in high school. A report from
the National Center for Education Statistics in the Department of
Education entitled ``Vocational Education in the United States Toward
the Year 2000'' shows that in associate degree programs at the
postsecondary level, women are almost four times as likely as men to
major in health fields and office fields. In contrast, the male
students in postsecondary vocational education programs are five times
more likely than women to major in technical education and 14 times
more likely, 14 times more likely to major in trade and industry
programs.
Thank goodness we have title IX to address the inequities like this.
The National Women's Law Center has filed legal petitions in all 12
regions of the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights,
requesting investigations into whether vocational and technical high
schools and classes violate title IX. They are also asking that action
be taken to remedy all conduct that does not comply with title IX law.
As we move into the 21st century with employers demanding more high-
skilled and better-educated workers and more families relying on a
woman's income, it is a moral crime to ignore the evidence of stark and
ongoing sex segregation in vocational and technical education programs.
Title IX makes it a legal crime, and gives us the tools we need to
right this wrong.
Happy anniversary, title IX. Much has been accomplished in 30 years,
and much is left undone.
I look forward to working with my colleague, the gentlewoman from
Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) in making some of these things right.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her
contributions. Certainly the challenges she has laid before the House
and before this Nation need to be heeded.
I am delighted now to yield to my colleague, the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Davis), who is also on the Committee on Education and
the Workforce.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, Friday morning, many Americans
will be getting up early to root for the U.S. Men's Soccer Team, which
quite unexpectedly has reached the final eight in the World Cup soccer
competition. This is the best men's effort in more than 70 years.

[[Page H3705]]

But who can forget the thrilling matches and win of the U.S. Women's
Soccer Team in the 2000 World Cup? We all have visions of the
celebratory leaps of joy and the news magazine cover pictures that
followed. While the women's success preceded the men's current
victories, who can question that this prominence would never have
happened in a women's sport had it not been for the passage of title
IX, the tradition-breaking measure that said women deserve an equal
opportunity to excel according to their talents, not their opportunity?
I am honored to speak in celebration of this 30th anniversary of
title IX to the education amendments of 1972 at this podium following
the distinguished gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), who has been a
champion of the implementation of title IX for many years, monitoring,
nurturing, and nudging its realization.
Sports have grabbed the headlines as the comparison of women's
opportunity with men's. Indeed, for women who graduated from college
before 1972, we know full well how little girls were encouraged to
succeed at male endeavors, not only in sports but in math and science,
politics and economics, medicine and the law.
We can see the impact, not only of increased opportunity because of
this legislation, but also of the example of those pioneering women in
space, in the Supreme Court, increasingly as CEOs of major companies,
and yes, as Members of Congress who serve as role models for the
expectations of young women today.
But we cannot be proud. Career education received a grade of D on the
report card on gender equity reported by the National Coalition for
Women and Girls in Education. We must multiply our efforts to assure
that girls have the same educational opportunities, and thus career
opportunities, as boys.
As Members of Congress, we must reach out to young women's groups,
and to those women who have tested the campaign waters to run for
school boards, for city councils and county boards of supervisors; and
we must mentor and encourage them to aspire to all seats in government.
In the California Assembly, I experienced the great difference it
made to agendas, to leadership positions, and the style of politics
when women became 25 percent of our body. I can only imagine what it
would feel like here in the House of Representatives if there were 109
women out of 435, instead of 59. How important it would be to the
national agenda if the Senate had moved not from nine and counting to
13 in the last election, but to 25. What if women were represented by
their proportion of the population? What if there were more women
Governors, and yes, candidates for President and Vice President?
Title IX has changed our culture in many ways in these 30 years. The
women of America must move forward together to assure even greater
results in the next 30.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
California for coming to the floor and sharing with us all of her
challenges and contributions.
Mr. Speaker, next I yield to the distinguished gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis), who has joined us here today to participate in
this 30th anniversary celebration of title IX.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman
from Hawaii for yielding to me, but also for bringing to light and
sharing with all of America the importance of this 30th year
anniversary.
I happen to be one who believes that there ought to be absolute
equality in all endeavors in all walks of life. I am amazed, as a
matter of fact, sometimes when I recall even the Preamble to our
Constitution, when we say, ``We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,'' and at the same time, we left out
women. Some people would suggest that when they said ``men'' they meant
women as well, but I am not always sure of that.
As a matter of fact, we can look at what the experiences have been,
that even today women, for the same work, with the same training, earn
less than 75 percent of what men earn for doing the same work with the
same training, the same experiences.
America is a great Nation. We have made lots of progress and we have
come a long way, but we still have much further to go. I do not think
we will ever get where we need to be unless we reinforce all of those
processes that we have used to get us where we are.
I want to commend the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) and
congratulate and all of my colleagues who take the floor and talk about
this achievement, and also let us know that we have to keep going,
because if we do not, we can always slip back.
So I commend the gentlewoman and join with her and all of my
colleagues in expressing appreciation for the enactment of title IX. Of
course, we have to keep it alive; we have to make sure that it is well;
and we have to keep working so that there is in fact equality across
the board without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, or any other form
of origin.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for taking
the time to come and be part of this recognition. It is so important to
recognize that in the 30 years much has been accomplished, but we still
need to do much, much more in order to achieve that equality for girls
and women in our society.
Mr. Speaker, I am especially pleased now to yield to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Waters), who is here to join us in this hour of
recognition for title IX.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here with my colleague, the
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), in order to celebrate the 30-year
anniversary of title IX. I would like to take this moment to thank her
for her leadership, for what she has done for girls and women in this
country.
This month, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the passage of title
IX of the education amendments of 1972. The achievements we have made
since then are impressive and worth celebrating. The percentage of
bachelor's degrees awarded to women has increased from 44 percent in
1971-1972 to 56 percent in 1997 and 1998. The percentage of doctorates
awarded to women has increased by nearly 30 percent, from 16 percent in
1971-1972 to 42 percent in 1997-1998.
Women and girls have made strides in athletics, also. In 1971, girls
comprised a mere 7 percent of high school varsity athletes. Last year,
the figure had increased by 847 percent, to 41.5 percent of all
athletes.
At the college level, the change is also very dramatic. There was a
403 percent increase between 1971 and 2001 in the participation of
women in intercollegiate sports, from 2 percent in 1971 to 43 percent
just last year.

{time} 1530

Meanwhile, men's participation levels at both the high school and the
college level have also increased, contrary to reports that imply the
gains for women have come at the cost of losses for men.
Improvements have also been made within the government. Until
recently, only four Federal agencies had complied with the requirement
that they issue rules regarding title IX. However, in August 2000 the
Department of Justice issued final regulations for 20 Federal agencies.
These new regulations provide Federal executive branch agencies with
the means to enforce title IX's prohibition against sex discrimination.
Unfortunately, not enough has changed. There are continued efforts to
diminish the gains women and girls have made under title IX. For
example, critics of title IX argue that colleges and universities have
been forced to eliminate men's teams in order to fund women's teams.
This ignores the fact that women's teams have been cut, too, as needed
by school budgets, et cetera.
The argument also dismisses the fact that in 1999, for example, men's
sports and intercollegiate athletics received greater funding across
the board. Disparities existed for scholarships, recruiting, head coach
salaries and operating expenses. In some categories, the funding for
men was twice that of women.
Other efforts to dismantle title IX include funding cuts and a rise
in lawsuits, seeking to roll back title IX protections. Recently, the
National Wrestling Coaches Association and other groups filed suit to
challenge the United States Department of Education's interpretations
of title IX.

[[Page H3706]]

While I applaud President Bush's call to seek dismissal of this suit, I
am dismayed that the President has not been supportive of title IX in
other ways.
For example, President Bush's 2003 budget allocates no funding to the
Women's Educational Equity Act, which is the only Federal program
specifically focused on increasing educational opportunities for
females. In addition, the Republican presidential agenda for the 2000
election included attacks on title IX and gender equity, and while
women and girls have gained a great deal since 1972, there are still
gaps in every area.
Wage parity has not been achieved. The average salary for women
professors in 1971 was $11,649, only 91 percent of women's average of
earnings at that time of $12,768. Thirty years later, the average
salary for women full professors had fallen to a mere 88 percent of
men's earnings. Women associates and assistant professors earned only
92 percent of what their male counterparts earned. These salary gaps
exist for teachers and principals in elementary and secondary education
as well.
Women continue to lag in educational degrees received. We are
underrepresented in traditionally male fields such as math and science,
ones that have greater earning potential. For example, women earn only
39 percent of physical science degrees, 27 percent of computers and
information sciences degrees and 18 percent of engineering degrees.
This disparity is even greater in doctoral degree programs. There,
women received only 26 percent of doctorate degrees in mathematics, 16
percent in computers and information sciences, and 12 percent in
engineering-related technologies. Not only does this negatively affect
the women themselves, but also it creates a void for young girls who
need role models in these fields.
Females are also underrepresented in athletics. We are drastically
underrepresented in coaching positions and as athletic directors. Even
head coaches of women's teams are filled by males more often than by
females, in Division I, II and III schools. Girls still have 30 percent
fewer opportunities to participate in high school and college sports
than boys. When viewed in light of all of the positive attributes of
physical activity, including psychological, sociological and physical
benefits, this lack of opportunity is troubling.
As we stand here today, we can be pleased and proud of the progress
that has been made in attaining gender equity in education, employment
and athletics, but we must not forget that the journey certainly
continues and that we must persevere in seeking equal opportunities for
all women and girls.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to close by saying that it is often
said that one person cannot really make a difference, that unless we
have millions upon millions of people moving perhaps at the same time,
nothing is going to change, but I am standing here looking at one
woman, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink). Long before I came to
the Congress of the United States, I was working with the gentlewoman,
and I know about her efforts at that time, and if it had not been for
the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), we would not have the progress
that we have today with title IX.
So in addition to celebrating this anniversary, I stand here to
commend my colleague and my friend, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs.
Mink), for being the leader in this area.

Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman so much. I
really appreciate her tribute and kind words, recalling our work
together and the tremendous difference that an individual and a
commitment to a cause can make and change the whole of society.
I heard a commentator the other day on a talk show say that next to
the civil rights, title IX has probably made the most difference in
this country in opening up opportunities, and I certainly have to agree
that a small effort, a deep commitment, and the consensus of this House
in going along and enacting this title IX has made it a tremendous
difference for the girls and women in our society.
It gives me great pleasure to yield time to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Millender-McDonald), chair of the Women's Caucus on the
Democratic side. We call her our chair, but she is the cochair for the
entire House Women's Caucus.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman so much,
and I join the voices here today in thanking a woman of great
leadership, great tenacity and great stride in furthering the cause of
our girls, our daughters, and our granddaughters, and our nieces to
seek opportunities no matter where they want to seek those.
As a former director of gender equity, I never thought that I would
be on the floor of Congress talking about the need to further
opportunities for girls. I thought in this year of 2002 this would all
be behind us. Thanks to our dear friend and congresswoman, the
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), she keeps this front and center.
Mr. Speaker, today I want to applaud her and the success of title IX
in opening doors of opportunities for women and girls of all ethnic
groups in this country over the past 30 years. However, there, despite
the gains made by title IX, we still need to ensure that the promises
of equal access to education and advancement in the workplace remain a
reality for all women, particularly women of color.
I have researched this issue more carefully, and as I have researched
this issue more carefully and more thoroughly, I am concerned that
since 1996 Congress has eliminated funding under title V of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 for programs that once supported title IX and gender
equity services in 49 States and their educational agencies.
About half of the States lack a dedicated employee to monitor
compliance with title IX, as required, and the 10 federally funded
Equity Assistance Centers have not received a funding increase in 5
years.
The Women's Educational Equity Act, the Federal Government's only
program focused on creating education opportunities for girls and
women, was overlooked in this President's fiscal year 2003 budget. If
we are going to speak loudly and speak with a volume about our girls
and giving them the opportunity, we certainly cannot overlook them in
the President's budget that has been to date.
In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals cannot file
lawsuits under title IX alleging retaliation.
There is clearly still a need to better educate the public about
title IX and to chip away at the discrimination that impacts girls and
women in education and in the workplace. We must remove any and all
barriers that prevent women and girls from living up to their full
potential.
The truth is, girls and women are woefully underrepresented in the
critical areas of technology, and the digital divide is a glaring
example of this underrepresentation.
There are glaring places in standardized testing across all races and
ethnicities, therefore limiting women's access to higher education
institutions, financial aid and career opportunities.
Women's employment opportunities at colleges and universities
declined as the prestige of the institution increased and increases.
Women earn fewer doctoral and professional degrees than men do.
Sexual harassment is an ongoing deterrent to equal opportunity for
women students, and gender bias is pervasive on many campuses. Ask our
daughters, ask our sisters, ask our nieces. They are still plagued with
this type of discrimination.
Female students of color, those who are disabled, and girls from poor
families are all faced with special challenges that have not yet been
fully addressed. We must do more to enable our girls to grow up to
become more empowered women.
We know that women comprise almost 60 percent of part-time students
and 58 percent of students ages 24 and older.
Women attending a post-secondary institution are twice as likely as
their male counterpart to have dependents and three times as likely to
be single parents.

Financial aid budgets offer little allowance for dependent care,
making many student parents reliant on friends and family and causing
them to drop courses or to leave school altogether.
From 1999 to the year 2000, the National Collegiate Athletic
Association, NCAA, found that women athletes get

[[Page H3707]]

only 40 percent of scholarship funds in some athletic divisions, though
this figure is an increase over the past 9 years. We are addressing
that issue right now.
Another area of education where women are lagging behind men is in
the education profession. When we look at elementary and secondary
schools, fewer than 35 percent of principals are women, and only 21
percent of full professors are women, and a mere 19 percent of women
head up our colleges and universities. Do they not recognize that there
are more women in this world than men? Do they not recognize that women
are making up the majority of votes in every congressional district in
this country? Women must be represented more fully. The numbers are no
better at elite institutions where women make up only 22.6 percent of
all the faculty. This is another issue we are addressing.
We have got to do more to encourage our girls to consider well-paying
careers in nontraditional fields that will broaden their career options
and earning potentiality. Too many of our girls choose fields like
cosmetology where the average hourly wage is $8.49, and it is amazing
to me. There is nothing wrong with that, but when men get into
cosmetology, they rise to the really great presence. They then do the
big stars' hair and all the others, and they become an institution in
and of themselves, while the women are still in these low wage jobs.
Look at child care, where pay is about $7.43 an hour, as opposed to
becoming plumbers, electricians or mechanical drafters who earn about
$20 per hour.
If we want our girls to flourish and grow into self-sufficient women,
then we must knock down the barriers to their success in the classroom,
whether they choose to work in technology, the trades, or pursue
professional endeavors.
My granddaughters Ayanna, Ramia and Blair want to play football, and
I have encouraged them to go for it, and I have even said if they
wanted to be the quarterback. We have got to encourage our girls to
find those nontraditional careers where they are making much better
earnings than that of the old traditional careers that women have
fallen into. We must do that as women become a larger segment of this
population of this country.

{time} 1545

So on this, the 30th anniversary of title IX, we salute our dear
friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink). We tell
her that we celebrate with her on this endeavor, 30 years of advancing
women and girls; that we should celebrate how far we have come and how
far we have to go, but we must also be mindful of the distance we still
need to travel to ensure optimal educational and vocational
opportunities for all of our young women and girls. We can do better
than this. We must do better than this. We, as the women of the House,
will do better than this.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her
contributions to this celebration, and I appreciate all of her
comments. We do have challenges ahead, and I hope the House will rise
to the occasion.
Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield to the gentlewoman from
Missouri (Ms. McCarthy).
(Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri asked and was given permission to revise
and extend her remarks.)
Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gracious
gentlewoman from Hawaii for this opportunity to join with her today as
we are commemorating the 30th anniversary of the passage of title IX of
the education amendments of 1972.
This title has been instrumental in prohibiting discrimination on the
basis of sex in educational programs and sports activities that receive
Federal funding. This law applies to admissions, recruitment, financial
aid, academic programs, grading, vocational education, recreation,
physical education, employment, athletics, and much more. This title
continues to present many opportunities for girls to acquire new
skills, friendships and make their dreams a reality.
Before title IX, many schools saw no problem in maintaining strict
limits on the admission of women or simply refusing to admit them at
all. Since the passage of title IX, this has changed dramatically. In
1994, women received 38 percent of medical degrees, 43 percent of law
degrees, and 44 percent of all doctoral degrees. In 1972, women
received only 9 percent of medical degrees, only 7 percent of law
degrees, and a mere 25 percent of doctoral degrees.
Title IX has provided unprecedented opportunities for young women
interested in pursuing a competitive athletic career. The U.S. Women's
Soccer team won the World Cup victory in 1991 against Norway and again
in 1999 against China, and this was possible because title IX funds
were available to the young women earlier in their lives.
I had the opportunity to share a remarkable experience with the team.
I was able to attend Eileen Collins' launch of a NASA space shuttle
with the soccer team, then First Lady Hillary Clinton, and many other
supporters of title IX. This was the first time a woman commanded a
NASA shuttle. It was a spectacular event that symbolized the
accomplishments of the act. Commander Collins and members of the soccer
team continue to inspire younger women to follow their own dreams.
Younger women are now aggressively entering many fields with more
confidence and assurance because of the positive impact of models such
as these and the availability of title IX funds. In my district, title
IX has allowed many young women to enter and excel in sports.
Independence's Fort Osage High School's Dana Rohr was awarded a $2,000
scholarship for her academic work and participation in sports. Angela
Goodson of Blue Springs South High School won the Missouri State
Girls title in swimming. Liz Pierson of Lee's Summit North won six
goals and three assists for her soccer team, which finished second in
Missouri. Janiece Gatson, a junior in Grandview, won fifth place at the
Missouri 4A State meet for running 400 meters in 57.3 seconds. Saint
Theresa's, an all girls' school in my district, became the first non-
St. Louis team to win a Missouri 1A-3A soccer girls title with a 6-2
victory this past Saturday.

Thanks to title IX, more and more young women are being recognized
and encouraged for their scholarly and athletic work. Since 1971,
women's participation in sports has markedly increased, with more than
135,000 women presently competing in intercollegiate sports. Women
currently constitute nearly 40 percent of all college athletes,
compared with only 15 percent in 1972.
Recent data show that approximately 2.6 million high school girls
participate in a wide selection of high school sports, representing
nearly 40 percent of all high school athletes. In 1971, only 7.5
percent of high school athletes were female.
Female participation in sports, like receiving a college education,
has had an unexpected benefit for women. Studies have shown that values
learned from sports participation, such as teamwork, leadership,
discipline, and pride in accomplishment, are important attributes as
women increase their participation in this workforce as well as their
entry into business management and ownership positions.
My love of sports throughout my schooling gave me confidence and a
sense of accomplishment. The friendships I made with teammates and the
memories we share keep us in contact in our adult lives. My experience
in sports enabled me to attain leadership and professional skills and
gave me the confidence that helped shape my career.
Thirty years after the passage of title IX, we recognize and
celebrate the profound changes this legislation has helped to bring
about in America and the resulting improvements in educational and
related job opportunities for millions of Americans. More and more
women are entering and graduating from college and graduate school,
more women are entering and excelling in sports activities, and more
women are entering the corporate world and holding management
positions.
I thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) for her leadership in
enacting title IX. Thanks to her courage and her persistence, the
country is better because more women are able to achieve their full
potential. I am

[[Page H3708]]

pleased to join with her and my colleagues today in celebrating the
30th anniversary of title IX and promise to work with them to uphold
and enforce this legislation in order to ensure equal opportunity for
all Americans.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her
contributions towards the recognition of title IX and the 30th
anniversary. Her thoughts and expressions about what has happened, what
it has meant to the country, and what is still yet to do, I hope, is
the challenge of today's event. I thank her very, very much for coming.
Mr. Speaker, there are many others who wanted to be here, but because
of the advance of the time that we had informed the offices that they
would be heard, many are not here. But I wanted to say that the most
important message that I believe we all want to say in the 30th
anniversary of title IX is that while we can give the impact of what
title IX has meant to this country up to now, we who have lived all of
the problems and difficulties of the last 30 years can easily
understand and appreciate the importance of this legislation but are
concerned that the young people coming up still in schools, elementary,
secondary school, perhaps some even in college, do not quite understand
the importance of this legislation.
Those that are participating in athletics, in soccer, basketball,
whatever, probably assume this is the way it always was and that
opportunities for girls and women were always assured under our
democracy, under our Constitution, under our concepts of the 14th
amendment, 15th amendment, and so forth. There is not a perception out
there among young people that this ability that they have to
participate in this way could be challenged. In point of fact, it is
being challenged, as some of the speakers have said today.
There is a lawsuit that has been filed by the wrestlers association
and some others challenging the rules and regulations that were put in
place by the Department of Education to implement the law. They are
saying that the rules and regulations have been implemented and applied
so as to discriminate against men's teams. They refer to them as the
minor teams, such as wrestling and so forth; and they allege that the
regulations have caused the institutions to eliminate many of these
men's sports on college campuses.
I am pleased that the administration chose to respond to this lawsuit
by arguing that it is not the obligation of the Federal Government;
that none of the allegations that were made in the litigation are true.
And that if, indeed, men's teams were eliminated, it was the
responsibility of the individual universities and institutions to
justify why they did it.

There are many reports to indicate why this happened, and that is
because the big sports at these universities, the football and the
basketball and baseball, and so forth, have consumed the revenues and
the attention of the administration. And because they are reserving
huge blocks of manpower and money and resources to their high
visibility, high revenue sports, some of these sports activities have
had to go.
So I think it is time for the institutions and the universities to
take a look at this problem and try to respond to these groups, such as
the wrestlers, and explain to them that it is not because title IX is
so effective, and that the women are participating and that the
universities have an obligation to offer these opportunities to women,
that have forced some of these men's sports to go by the wayside.
So we are constantly under challenge and under scrutiny, and it is
not time for us to rest on our laurels and to simply exclaim the
wonders of this legislation and how it has transformed our society. I
call upon the House and every Member here to be vigilant and to
recognize that this is an important law which was put into effect, and
that we have to make sure that it continues to abide as the principle
of this country and enables our young generations coming forward to
enjoy the fruits of this legislation.
I am pleased now to yield to a distinguished colleague, the gentleman
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), for such comments as he may wish to make.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentlewoman from
Hawaii, who is one of the senior Members of this House and who has
seen, I think, over time, the development of title IX, the enactment of
title IX, and the impact that title IX has had.
I certainly associate myself with her remarks, that while we are
obviously pleased at the progress that has been made, we ought not to
believe that everything that can be done or should be done has been
done.
Mr. Speaker, this month, as we have said, marks the 30th anniversary
of title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972. This legislation
prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive
Federal funds. It has been instrumental, in my opinion, in helping
women get into educational programs where they had previously been
underrepresented, such as the math and sciences. It has helped to
encourage women to break job barriers and obtain careers, such as
engineers, doctors and mathematicians, which in turn has diversified
our workforce and infused our society with an energy and potential that
had not been tapped for centuries.
It is really incredible, when we think of this country and we think
of how we excluded on the basis of gender so many talented people. I am
the father of three daughters. I have one grandson, but I have three
daughters. And the concept that these incredibly talented, energetic
people would have been excluded based upon their gender is despicable.
We have come a long way in this country not only on gender but on race,
ethnicity, and national origin. Title IX was a tremendous contributor
to that progress.
Perhaps the biggest achievement of title IX is the fact that it has
leveled the playing field for men and women in sports. It mandates
equal treatment for playing opportunities, access to athletic
scholarships, equipment, facilities, and coaching. The numbers paint a
powerful portrait. In the 30 years since title IX, the number of girls
participating in high school sports has skyrocketed from 200,000 to
almost 3 million, an 800 percent-plus increase. At the intercollegiate
level, the number of participants is five times greater than before
title IX was enacted.
The best athletic team that we had participate in the Summer Olympics
in Rome was the girls softball team. Those young women were the best in
the world. Watching women's basketball now, and the Mystics are doing
very well, as the gentlewoman may know, in Washington. I think we have
won six or seven straight, the best start we have had in the Women's
Professional Basketball Association. I am old enough, I hate to admit,
to remember the women's basketball game when there were three full
courts and three back courts, as if women could not run from one end of
the court to the other end of the court. It was one of the dullest
games I have ever seen. And not only was it dull for the spectators, it
was dull for the players. Now, of course, we see the incredible
athleticism the women display in playing basketball, clearly, frankly,
as good as the men. The difference being the men are bigger and,
therefore, with a 10-foot basket, have an advantage.
But what an appropriate thing it was to say we are going to treat
people based upon, as Martin Luther King said, the content of their
character or the abilities that they have.

{time} 1600

We said that in the Disabilities Act. We said it in title IX, how
important it is for us to continually emphasize it is what people can
do that we need to focus on, not their gender or race or disability,
not some arbitrary and mostly capricious distinction that we draw.
Clearly, the dated stereotype that women are not interested in
athletics has been shattered as the door of opportunity continues to
open.
Just think of Venus and Serena, two extraordinary sisters, the two
best tennis players in the world, the Williams sisters. Clearly there
is not a man on this floor, period, that would want to play them with
any consequence to losing because we clearly would lose badly.
Title IX has allowed the desires and passions of millions of women to
be realized. They participate in sports. They enjoy sports. They
succeed in competitive sports.
My oldest daughter played 4 years of varsity basketball in high
school in the

[[Page H3709]]

Catholic Girls League here in Washington, D.C., which is an
extraordinarily good league.
Competitive athletics have increased the academic success of young
women and make it less likely that they will become involved with
alcohol and drug abuse. The emotional and physical benefits women and
girls gain from participation are invaluable. We know that physical
participation is important, not only for your physical but also your
mental capacities.
At a time when many young women become critical of their appearance
and grapple with eating disorders and low self-esteem, sports helps
young women develop confidence and a positive body image. In the long
term, athletic activities decrease a woman's chance of developing heart
disease and breast cancer. So it is truly extraordinarily helpful.
Mia Hamm, and what an extraordinary athlete she is, the captain of
the U.S. soccer team, which won the 1999 Women's World Cup, once
stated, ``What I love about soccer is the way it makes me feel about
myself. It makes me feel that I can contribute.'' She is part of the
daughters of title IX who have paved a path for millions of female
athletes to follow. Her statement hits the nail right on the head, as
it highlights the self-confidence and teamwork skills sports helped to
develop and define.
Title IX is, of course, not without its critics, but I think for the
most part they are misguided. They blame title IX for eliminating some
men's minor sports, but the reality is title IX provides institutions
with the flexibility to determine how to provide equity for their
students.
A March 2001 GAO study found that 72 percent of colleges and
universities that added women's teams did so without cutting any men's
teams. In fact, men's overall intercollegiate athletic participation
has risen since the passage of title IX. This truly was a win/win
situation for men as well as and particularly for women.
Part of the problem lies with the larger of the men's sports, such as
football and basketball, which consume a majority of men's total
athletic budget. The complaint to be brought against title IX is that
it does not go far enough, that the advancement for women in education
and athletics, no matter how positive, must go further.
As part of today's celebration of title IX, I would like to recognize
Dr. Deborah A. Yow, the athletic director for the University of
Maryland. I have told this story before, and I am not sure if the
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) or the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Lofgren) have heard this story. The gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Coble) is a crusty, conservative Member of the House of
Representatives; a wonderful human being, a good-hearted human being,
but not one that I perceive in the forefront of feminism in America,
and I say that affectionately.
He knows full well that I am closely associated with the University
of Maryland. He came up and said, you know what, you have got a woman
you ought to hire at the University of Maryland. She is a friend of
mine, Deborah Yow, and is under consideration to be the athletic
director at the University of Maryland.
Now, at that point in time there were no women athletic directors at
the level 1-A schools. But the fact that the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Coble) came up to me and said Deborah Yow could do that
job, I went back to my office and picked up the phone and called the
then-president of the University of Maryland, who is now our new
chancellor of our system, and told him, Britt, I have just talked to a
person, this Deborah Yow must be extraordinary. Shortly thereafter,
Deborah Yow was hired. She is now the athletic director, and of course
we finished 10-1 in football and won the national basketball
championship, under a woman athletic director. Those were men's teams;
and we have won numerous championships in lacrosse and field hockey for
our women's teams.
Her sister is a major athletic leader in our country as well. Her
outstanding career achievements serve to exemplify the important
contributions made by women in the athletic arena, as well as to our
entire society.
In a male-dominated profession, 91.6 percent of athletic directors in
Division I universities being men, Debbie has not only met the
challenges of her profession, but she has raised the bar for all. Under
Debbie's leadership, the Terrapins ranked nationally as one of the top
20 athletic programs in the country, according to U.S. News and World
Report. The University of Maryland under her leadership has established
an incredibly strong athletic program with exemplary student athletes,
coaches and administrators.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii
(Mrs. Mink) for focusing on this historic event. In 1972, when the
Congress and the country said we are going to make sure that everybody,
irrespective of gender, can participate equally and achieve to the
extent of their character and their ability, we made a statement and
adopted a policy that has made America a better country.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for his contributions.

Request for Additional Time

Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for 5
additional minutes.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota). The Chair may not
entertain that request. Another Member may separately request time to
address the House.

____________________