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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Mission of landmark Title IX must go on

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These days, it's difficult to imagine a world where colleges and universities refuse to admit women. A world where only 1 in 27 girls play high school sports. And a world where girls are limited to vocational courses that only teach cooking and sewing. Up until the 1970s, that was the world Americans lived in.

Title IX of the Education Act, co-authored by the late U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink, changed all that. With its preamble alone, the law opened the doors of opportunity for women and girls throughout the nation:

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subject to discrimination under any educational programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Many only know the legislation as it applies to sports, but it went well beyond that, including access to higher education, career education, education for pregnant and parenting students, employment, and education in math, science and technology.

Now, 35 years later, there are more females in sports, higher education, politics and high-profile careers than ever before.

Last night, a reception was held in Washington in honor of Mink and to mark the anniversary of Title IX.

Perhaps the most fitting way to honor Mink's work is to remember that more must be done to ensure gender equity. Women and girls still lag behind men in pursuing degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and math. And women's and girls' teams receive fewer recruiting and scholarship funds at the college level.

After three decades, it's good to see how far we've come.

Now it's time to go even further.