Bouquet: Thursday, members of the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Branch of the American Association of University Women recognized the 50th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX of the Education Amendments, which changed the face of education. This groundbreaking civil rights law prohibits sex discrimination in education and protects people of all genders, both staff and students, in any educational institution or program receiving federal funds. This includes local school districts, colleges and universities, for-profit schools, career and technical education programs, libraries, and museums. Title IX states “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” –Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Title IX ushered in an era of enormous progress and affects all areas of education, including the areas of career and technical education; science, technology, engineering and math; sexual harassment and assault; harassment based on gender identity; recruitment, admissions and housing; pregnant, parenting and/or married students; comparable facilities and access to course offerings; financial assistance; student health services and insurance benefits; and athletics. Thanks to Title IX, women now make up more than 56% of America’s college students and hold nearly half — 48% — of tenure track positions. Since Title IX’s passage, the number of female athletes climbed more than 10 times: female athletes now make up 42% of all high school athletes.

Despite the many positive effects of Title IX, women and girls still do not have equal educational experiences or opportunities. 1.13 million more boys participate in high school sports than girls, reflecting in part less support and available opportunities. Sexual harassment continues to be a significant problem for many students, creating barriers to an equal education.

Additionally, a 2017 study found that men dominate 9 of the 10 college majors that lead to the highest-paying jobs, all 10 of which are in STEM fields and 7 out of the 10 are in computer science and engineering.

AAUW has long been a champion of Title IX. The bedrock of AAUW is supporting women. The law states that each public education institution must have mandated materials available naming the Title IX coordinator and must make the policy easy to find on their webpage. Parents, students, staff and community members are encouraged to check each school’s website to find out who the Title IX coordinators are and what the Title IX policies are. Students attending college campuses in the fall should also familiarize themselves with Title IX and the process by which they can access its protections.

For more information about AAUW on the national, state, and local levels, go to www.aauw.org, www.aauwmi.org and www.imkaauw.org or contact Kristine Schroeder at kristineschroeder2020@gmail.com.