[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 108 (Monday, September 13, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    STATEMENT REGARDING THE WOMEN'S EDUCATIONAL EQUITY ACT AMENDMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 13, 2004

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, Title IX established the principle of equal 
opportunity for all students and athletes, breaking down the 
institutional barriers to education that had beset women for decades. 
Its affirmed goal was to eliminate ``discrimination based on sex.'' It 
quickly became clear that this milestone could not be achieved by 
decree alone, and 2 years after the passage of the Title IX, late 
Congresswoman Patsy Mink of Hawaii introduced the Women's Educational 
Equity Act (WEEA) as one of the means to implement and establish those 
principles embodied in the language of Title IX.
  The Women's Educational Equity Act addresses the social and cultural 
structures surrounding gender inequality. For 20 years, WEEA has 
provided Federal dollars for projects that promote educational equity 
for young women through competitive grants to public agencies, private 
non-profit organizations, and individuals. Most of the funds are 
directed to local implementation of gender equity policies in the 
academic curriculum and research and development projects.
  In its 20 year history, WEEA has funded a variety of projects from 
the Women in Science and Environment (WISE) program in Boston which 
provides hands-on experiences in science and environmental industries 
for more than 300 students each year to the Stepping Stones Across the 
Digital Divide, a project in my state of California, which targets 
Hispanic females in grades 3 to 6. The goal of this project is to 
increase academic performance through developing computer and emerging 
information technologies. Collectively, these programs have made great 
strides in providing equity in education opportunity for women.
  Republicans in Congress have steadily eroded the money appropriated 
to this program from its peak of $10 million in 1980 to less than $3 
million last year. This year, for inexplicable reasons, Republicans 
have stripped this successful program of all of its funding, 
effectively eliminating it.
  It is clear that WEEA has succeeded in creating unprecedented 
educational opportunities for women in all areas of academia. Since 
WEEA was enacted, 63 percent of female high school graduates enroll in 
college, up from 43 percent in 1973. Furthermore, the number of women 
earning a bachelor's degree from college jumped from 18 percent to over 
30 percent. These dramatic academic accomplishments, pale in comparison 
to the strides made at the graduate level. In the ten years since WEEA 
was adopted, the number of women receiving medical, law, and doctoral 
degrees has spiked from 9 percent to 38 percent, 7 percent to 43 
percent, and 25 percent to 44 percent respectively.
  The Women's Educational Equity Act embodies the ideals of equal 
opportunity embraced by all Americans. It provides an environment where 
women are given the opportunity to overcome the institutional barriers 
to education that have existed for many years. WEEA's principles and 
programs talented young women's skills and interests in whatever 
discipline they choose. Most importantly, it is a program whose proof 
lies in the achievements of the women who have thrived in the years 
since its inception. Patsy Mink had the foresight to introduce this 
program and positively affect the lives of thousands of young women. In 
honor of the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink, let us carry out her vision 
of the implementation of Title IX and support this amendment and the 
thousands of women who can benefit from such programs in the future.

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