“What Do I Think About Title IX?” Voices From a University Community

Abstract

Despite the apparent benefits of Title IX, the implementation of the law remains controversial, and there are divergent beliefs regarding its impact on collegiate sport. The purpose of this study was to examine how members of a university community, whose intercollegiate sport programs have changed, perceive and make sense of Title IX and the changes it incurred. Using a gendered lens (Birrell, 2000) and qualitative interviews with 13 individuals connected to the university community, insight was gained into their perceptions of Title IX and women's and men's athletic opportunities. The theme of opportunity gained and lost was central to how these individuals perceive Title IX and resonates with the liberal (feminist) concerns out of which Title IX was born.

Keywords:

• athletics
• college
• gender stereotypes

Notes

¹ It should be noted that only individuals 18 years of age and older were recruited to participate so that they could give informed consent. Further, the sample was not diverse racially as all study participants identified as Caucasian. The reason for this is discussed fully in the “Limitations” section.