Myth

• Title IX has done its job and is no longer needed.

Fact

•  Schools are providing 1.3 million fewer chances for girls to play sports in high school as compared to boys. While more than half of the students at NCAA schools are women, they receive only 44% of the athletic participation opportunities.

 Myth

• Title IX applies only to discrimination against women.

Fact

• Typical harassment complaints still include: making sexual comments, jokes, gestures, or looks. Harassment can also include spreading sexual rumors about a person, touching, grabbing, or pinching someone in a sexual way, intentionally brushing up against someone in a sexual way, flashing or exposing oneself.

 Myth

• Title IX is only about athletics.

Fact

• Fewer females than males receive valuable awards, such as National Merit Scholarships. Additionally, at the collegiate level women now make up a slight majority of the student body, yet they are still more likely to be underrepresented in science and technology fields and in higher earning occupations that will be critical to the United States success in the new global economy. Despite the fact that girls often earn higher grades than boys they face barriers in school settings that inhibit them from expanding into all fields, especially those that are male dominated. Even though athletics is an important part of Title IX, gender equality in all participation aspects are covered.

 Myth

• Girls are not as interested as boys in playing organized sports.

Facts

•  “The dramatic increase in girls' and women's participation in sport since Title IX was passed in 1972 (by 560% at the college level and 990% in high schools) demonstrates that it was lack of opportunity – not lack of interest – that kept females out of high school and college athletics for so many years.”

 Source:

http://espn.go.com/espnw/title-ix/article/7729603/five-myths-title-ix