Alexander's work is comprehensive study and interpretation of public school law, but for purposes of the study here, it will be limited to those interpretations and insights and case law related to gender equity. An axiom that women often quote says, "Unfortunately, a woman must work twice as hard and be twice as good as a man in order to get half as far (Harriman, 1996, p
Despite the clear fact that male students engage in athletic competition at a higher rate than their female peers, the prevailing judgment of Title IX is that athletic programs must be equally represented. This mismanagement of a well-intentioned statute has assured that a "gender breakdown of the school's athletes has to match the gender breakdown of the entire student body," and because "women now account for six in ten undergrads & #8230; at many colleges, this is an increasingly difficult standard to meet" (Lukas, 2011)
While an increasingly modernized and interconnected culture has undoubtedly influenced the progress women have made in the last few generations, many experts believe the role played by Title IX should not be overlooked. Research conducted by Betsey Stevenson, who works as an economist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrated that "increasing girls' sports participation had a direct effect on women's education and employment & #8230; (and) that the changes set in motion by Title IX explained about 20% of the increase in women's education and about 40% of the rise in employment for 25-to-34-year-old women" (Parker-Pope, 2010)
Originally formulated by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), a now-defunct sector of the federal government which published its Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Interpretation in 1979 to amend Title IX, the three-pronged test relies requires collegiate athletic programs to meet one of three conditions. When a university can "provide opportunities that are proportionate to the student enrollment, demonstrate continual expansion of sports opportunities for the under-represented gender" or achieve "full and effective accommodation of the interests and abilities of the under-represented gender" (Roberson, 2011) they are found to be in compliance with the major directives of Title IX
Any discussion regarding the legacy of Title IX for women in college athletics must begin by acknowledging that its enactment in 1972 has compelled substantial advancements in securing of opportunities for female athletes. The simple fact that "within four years of its implementation, the number of female athletes in the United States increased by 600%, to include over two million participants" (Shook, 1996) is an astounding testament to both the transformative power of Title IX and the determination of those charged with enforcing its mandates