WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden has fought for equal opportunities for female athletes for much of his political career. The Title IX amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed in 1972, the year Biden was first elected to the U.S. Senate.
Biden on Tuesday announced that the Obama administration will repeal a policy in the amendment that former President George W. Bush implemented in 2005 that allowed colleges, universities and secondary schools that receive federal funding to use a survey to gauge women’s interest in sports and attribute low response rates to lack of interest. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan joined Biden at George Washington University for the announcement.
“We had a lot of fights after Title IX was passed, just to keep it alive. I used to get a lot of heat from [friends] who said, ‘What are you doing? You’re going to ruin college football and basketball programs,’” Biden recalled. In response, he would tell them, “I promise your mind’s going to change the moment you have a daughter. When you’re surrounded by women who are as competitive and smart and tough, it’s an amazing thing!”
Biden said strengthening the policy, which critics have said enables schools to avoid providing gender equity in sports programs, will “allow women to realize their potential — so this nation can realize its potential.”
Previously, schools were required to prove gender equity in sports programs in one of three ways: matching women’s participation in sports proportionately to their enrollment; expanding athletics opportunities for women; and demonstrating that they were meeting female students’ athletic abilities and interests.
“There is no doubt that Title IX has dramatically increased athletic, academic and employment opportunities for women and girls, and educational institutions have made big strides in providing equal opportunities in sports,” said Duncan. “Yet discrimination continues to exist in college athletic programs — and we should be vigilant in enforcing the law and protecting this important civil right.”
Under the new policy, schools can still use the three-part test but they can no longer rely on surveys to assess female students’ interest or ability or characterize nonresponses as lack of interest. Instead, they will have to consider additional factors, such as student requests for an additional sport or participation rates at feeder high schools.
