Title IX

In honor of Labor Day, here’s a snapshot of how working women are faring in today’s economy, by the numbers.

• Percentage of college graduates earning bachelor’s degrees who are women: 57.
• Percentage of students earning master’s degrees who are women: 60.
• Years of college that a man must attend, on average, to earn approximately the same as a woman with a four-year degree: 2.
• The typical number of cents paid to a full-time, year-round woman worker for every dollar paid to her male counterpart: 77.
• The typical number of cents paid to an African-American full-time, year-round woman worker for every dollar paid to a white, non-Hispanic man: 62.
• The typical number of cents paid to a Latina full-time, year-round woman worker for every dollar paid to a white, non-Hispanic man: 54.

Kaylynn

This week on High School Moms we met two more young women enrolled at the Florence Crittenton School for pregnant and parenting students in Denver, CO.  First we met Kaylynn who is struggling with her relationship with her mother, her son’s behavioral issues, her weight, her grades at school, and making financial ends meet – needless to say, it’s a lot for a 17-year-old mom to handle.   We also met Alyah, the daughter of a teen mom, who at 16 is nine months pregnant and understandably scared to death of the reality of giving birth. 

The greatest contrast between Kaylynn and Alyah has to do with the men, or lack thereof, in their lives.  Kaylynn didn’t provide us with many details, but it was obvious that the father of her son is not involved and that his absence contributes to a lot of her struggles.  Alyah on the other hand has a very supportive boyfriend – the 16-year old father of her soon-to-be born son.  Alyah told us that when she broke the news of her pregnancy, he hugged her and reassured her that everything would be okay. Read more »

Amber and her daughter

This week on High School Moms, the focus of the show was the Florence Crittenton School’s first-ever prom. It was completely planned by the students with some help from the community, including hundreds of donated prom dresses and free hair, nails, and make-up services donated by a local beauty school. The young moms (and moms-to-be) were so excited about it.

In this episode we met Carla Garcia, a 19-year old mom of a 3-year old boy, and Amber Martinez, a 17-year old mom of a 2-year old girl. When Amber introduced herself she said that her mom was a teen mom, as was her grandmother,  and she said, “I am going to stop the cycle.” I believe she will, not just because she is so self-aware and is quite the go-getter, which she appears to be based on her leadership role in the prom planning, but also because thankfully, she attends a school where she is encouraged to see graduation as a reality and college as a possibility worth pursuing. Read more »

Last night I watched the first episode of High School Moms, the six-episode TLC documentary about students at the Florence Crittenton School for pregnant and parenting teens in Denver. Refreshingly, the show really did focus on school, both the struggles its students go through in trying to get an education and stay on track for graduation, and the struggles administrators and teachers go through in trying to help. The obstacles faced by these young mothers – personal, academic, and financial – are enormous. And remember, these are girls who go to a school that is supportive and focused on their needs, where they are not facing the types of harassment and blatant pregnancy discrimination that so many pregnant and parenting students across the country still face at school, even though it’s prohibited by Title IX.

Still, it’s not easy. In fact, the two young moms profiled on last night’s show appear to be on the verge of having to go the GED route instead of staying in high school. Read more »

Yesterday would have been historic regardless of the winner: it was the first time women boxed for gold in the Olympics. But that the US boxer Claressa Shields won the first gold made it even more historic. A middleweight boxer from Flint, Michigan, Chelsea beat two-time world champion Anna Laurell of Sweden and Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova. Oh, and did I mention she’s only 17? She is the youngest to win boxing gold (men included) since 1924.

This year is the first time the US sent more women than men to compete in the Olympics. Thanks to Title IX, American girls and women like Claressa have had more opportunities to participate in sports. The rising number of women playing for and winning gold is a reflection of Title IX’s success. Though there’s still more work to be done, Title IX and the domination of Team U.S.A.’s women in London can be celebrated together. Read more »

The Second Circuit has confirmed that Quinnipiac University ran afoul of Title IX when it dropped the women’s volleyball team and tried to count the competitive cheerleading team as a sport under Title IX. That doesn’t mean cheer isn’t a great activity or that it’s not athletic; it simply means that cheer is not developed enough at this point to qualify as a varsity sport under U.S. Department of Education guidelines. The court held that cheer did not qualify as a varsity sport because it did not walk and talk like other varsity sports. The cheer team did not conduct any off-campus recruiting, did not compete solely against other varsity teams, and had no progressive playoff system in the post season.

The other big issue the court addressed involves the standards for complying with prong one of Title IX’s three-part participation test. Following Department of Education policy, the court held that QU’s 3.62% gap between female enrollment and participation—which amounted to 38 additional spots needed to provide women with proportional opportunities—was large enough to field an additional women’s team and therefore did not constitute compliance. Read more »

This week a charter school in Delhi, Louisiana was called out by the ACLU for blatant Title IX violations when it was discovered that the school had a policy of kicking out pregnant students. A Louisiana Department of Education spokesperson said he “did not know the state's policies for pregnant students.” It is unacceptable that in the year 2012 so few lawmakers, school officials, teachers know that Title IX prohibits discrimination against pregnant and parenting students.

NWLC’s report, “A Pregnancy Test for Schools” clearly delineates the rights of pregnant and parenting students in a convenient Bill of Rights.

1. You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
2. You have the right to be free of discrimination. No one can kick you out of school because you are pregnant or a parent.
3. Your school must excuse absences due to pregnancy or childbirth for as long as your doctor says it is necessary. All of your teachers are required to give you a reasonable amount of time, after the conclusion of those absences, to make up the work you missed.
4. Separate programs or schools for students who are pregnant or parents must be completely voluntary. You cannot be forced to attend a separate school.

Think that school policies that shun pregnant students and push them out of school are a thing of the past?

Think again.

A public charter school in Delhi, Louisiana says that students who they “suspect of being pregnant” must submit to a pregnancy test. And, according to their written policy, “if the test indicates that the student is pregnant, the student will not be permitted to attend classes…” As we outlined in our report, A Pregnancy Test for Schools, policies like the Louisiana one clearly violate the U.S. Constitution and Title IX, the federal law that bars sex discrimination in schools.

Earlier this week, the ACLU sent the school a letter demanding that the school immediately end the practice of forced pregnancy tests and stop excluding pregnant students. There is also a petition asking the school to remove the discriminatory policy. Read more »

Wow! Team U.S.A.'s athletes are amazing.

Did you see Alex Morgan's stunning game-winning goal in overtime? Or Gabby Douglas and the Fab Five making history? And who could forget Katie Ledecky — at only 15 years old — breaking the U.S. record and winning a gold medal in the 800 freestyle.

We are so proud of all of our athletes. London 2012 is the first time that the majority of Team U.S.A. is female, and there is no doubt that thanks is owed to four decades of Title IX. In the 1972 Summer Games, the same year Title IX was born, 21% of the American competitors were women. Forty years later the American delegation is a whopping 51% female.

The Olympic games are far from over. Show your support for what's been called the "Title IX Olympics." You can:

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This summer, women across the United States have been cheering for the fortieth anniversary of Title IX, the landmark law that opened the doors for women in sports and education. And now we’re joining women across the world to cheer women’s firsts at the 2012 London Olympics.

The London games mark the first Olympics where all 205 country delegations have sent a woman to the games – including Saudi Arabia, where women aren’t allowed to drive cars. Over 40 percent of the nearly 10,500 athletes competing are women. For the first time ever, Team USA is sending more women than men to the games.

And our biggest cheer of all, there is now no summer sport that is restricted to men. Boxing, the last of the summer games’ all male-sports and one of the most macho, has finally been opened to women!

Of course, there’s a caveat. As the New York Times reported, only 36 female boxers are competing in three weight classes at this summer’s games, compared to 250 male boxers in ten weight classes. Read more »