[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1616-E1617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN RECOGNITION OF THE THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF TITLE IX

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2009

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I wish to take a moment this 
week to recognize the thirty-seventh anniversary of Title IX. When I 
think of this historic legislation that champions equal rights for 
women, I am reminded of something Betty Friedan said in her book, the 
Feminine Mystique. She said, ``The problem that has no name--which is 
simply the fact that American women are kept from growing to their full 
human capacities--is taking a far greater toll on the physical and 
mental health of our country than any known disease.'' Ms. Friedan--a 
leader of the women's rights movement and a founding member of the 
National Organization for Women--described an ongoing battle; a battle 
that has plagued our country for far too long.
  Title IX was enacted with the purpose of removing the barriers that 
could negatively constrict the potential of over 50% of our population. 
This monumental advance in equal rights for women was passed on June 
23, 1972, with the goal of prohibiting gender discrimination in 
education programs, especially concerning athletic opportunities for 
young men and women. I have time and time again

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commended this milestone in U.S. legislation for empowering women to 
engage and contribute positively to society as well as for encouraging 
women to make responsible decisions.
  Upon celebrating the thirty-seventh anniversary of Title IX, it is 
only right to recognize what has thus far been accomplished since the 
enactment of Title IX in 1972. In the arena of athletics, we have seen 
tremendous increases in the participation of women in sports. In 1972, 
there were merely 294,000 female high school athletic participants, in 
contrast to the 3.6 million male participants; now, looking at 2006, 
there has been a 904% increase with just under 3 million female high 
school athletes. In 1972, only about 30,000 women continued on to 
collegiate athletic participation, compared to 170,000 male 
participants. But in 2006, that number also increased exponentially, by 
456%, to 167,000 female collegiate participants. In the world of 
business, the percentage of women general counsels in Fortune 500 
companies rose from 4% to 15% between 1994 and 2002. Within the legal 
profession, the percentage of women in tenured positions at law schools 
increased from 5.9% in 1994 to 25.1% in 2006. In addition, I am certain 
that Title IX laid the foundation for other advancements in equal 
rights for women, such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 that 
President Obama signed into law this January and that I proudly co-
sponsored.
  Even with this progress, the United States still has quite a journey 
ahead toward the goal of equality for women. There still exists 
resistance to efforts to treat women and men equally. Even now there is 
still a remarkably large gap between the number of female and male high 
school and collegiate sports participants. Beyond athletics, there 
still exists gender inequality in the work force on multiple fronts, 
including: the ratio of male to female professionals; the difference in 
the earnings of male and female employees; and the ratio of male to 
female leadership positions in the workforce. It is true that in 2003 
female professional earnings had risen to 76% of what their male 
counterparts were making; nevertheless, 76% is still far less than 
100%.
  So, I celebrate the advances made during the thirty-seven years since 
Title IX was enacted, and I promise to continue to dedicate my time and 
efforts to champion equal rights for women.

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