Title IX and new CA law affect Peninsula

Title IX, first passed in 1972, is the law that first helped gap gender inequality in schools. The law states that there must be gender equality in all activities that receive federal funding. Competitive sports teams and math-and-science courses must be open and inclusive to both genders.

“[Before], everything was about the boys’ sports. The girls’ were just like a club and we didn’t compete with anyone,” Principal Mitzi Cress said. “The attitude was that sports were for guys.”

In effort to further resolve the issue of gender inequality in schools, proposed state bill SB-1349 proposes that from the 2015-2016 school year on, public and charter schools will publish total student enrollment, the number of participants per sport and the number of teams by gender on its school website or through its district. Lawmakers feel that Title IX is difficult to enforce without proof that schools are actually putting it into practice; bill author Hannah-Beth Jackson stated that the law would “[shine] the light on oppurtunities, or lack thereof, for girls to participate in grade and high school athletics.”

Athletic Director Wendell Yoshida already tracks these numbers, so this law will not dramatically affect Peninsula. Rather, the school works to ensure equality continues on Peninsula’s campus by following Title IX to the tee.

“Title IX keeps me aware of facilities. If boys have the proper uniforms, girls should have that opportunity too,” Yoshida said. “If the boys’ [baseball] team has a batting cage, we build a cage for the girls’ [softball] team.”

Since the law was passed, the school has worked to equalize opportunities by providing as many playing levels per sport for both genders.

While it has not proven to be an issue at Peninsula, gender inequality is still found on campuses across the nation. Furthermore, fans still do not show the same interest with girls events as is shown with boys.

“The biggest difference is the sheer number [of attendees],” athletic trainer Scott Gaines said. “You get a lot more turnout for the guys than there are for the girls.”

Even still, Title IX continues to affect the lives of many students athletes; according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the number of girls competing in high school sports jumped from under 295,000 to nearly 3,200,000 between 1972 and 2011; the number of female athletes competing in college has increased from less than 30,000 to over 193,000. SB-1349 means to further the work that Title IX started.

“After 40 years of Title IX, there are still schools out of compliance,” Jackson said. “This bill seeks to change that.”