Title IX · Episode 3 of 10 · 51 min
How Title IX Passed in 1972 — 37 Words, Almost Unnoticed
Congress passed a sweeping ban on sex discrimination in 1972 with almost no debate about sports, the thing it is now famous for. Modeled on the 1964 Civil Rights Act and tucked into a large education bill, the thirty-seven words never mention athletics, and their reach only emerged over the following years.
Who's who
- Birch Bayh+3 more episodesIndiana senator who authored the Senate language
- Edith Green+3 more episodesOregon congresswoman who chaired the 1970 hearings and carried the House bill
- Patsy Mink+5 more episodesHawaii congresswoman and key author; the law was later renamed for her
- Richard Nixon+15 more episodesPresident who signed the law on June 23, 1972
- Gerald Ford+4 more episodesPresident who signed the implementing regulations in 1975
Timeline
- 1964Title VI bars discrimination by race, color or national origin in federally funded programs, but not sex
- August 6, 1971Bayh first introduces a sex-discrimination amendment
- February 28, 1972The Senate adopts Bayh's amendment
- June 8, 1972Congress gives final passage to the Education Amendments of 1972
- June 23, 1972Nixon signs the bill into law
- May 27, 1975Ford signs the implementing regulations, nearly three years after passage
Still debated
Historians argue whether Congress meant Title IX to transform athletics or whether sports were an afterthought; the record supports both readings. Credit for authorship is also shared among Bayh, Green and Mink.
← PreviousWho Created Title IX? The Godmother and the CongresswomenNext →How the NCAA Fought Title IX to Protect Football
Connected episodes in other series
The Front Door and the Back Door: ERA vs. Title IXA Woman's Place · Episode 9Also features Birch Bayh, Edith Green
The Lottery and the End: The Botched Draw and the Draft's Last DaysGreeting: America and the Draft · Episode 11Also features Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon
The Opening: The Laws That Changed, and the ERA That DiedHaving It All · Episode 2Also features Patsy Mink
The 1970 BargainNeither Snow Nor Rain · Episode 6Also features Richard Nixon