As Olympics Kicks Off—We Look at the Role of Title IX in Promoting U.S. Women in Sports and the Work Still Needed

The Opening Ceremony will kick off the Paris Olympics tomorrow. Hundreds of American athletes will compete in this year’s Summer Games—demonstrating the dedication and resilience needed to go for gold. For many of these athletes, their road to the Olympics included competing in their colleges’ athletic programs.

College athletic programs in the United States were transformed after Title IX was passed more than 50 years ago. The law prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs. But it’s probably best known for its role in promoting women in sports—increasing their opportunities and providing more equitable access to the same kinds of resources as their fellow male competitors, such as fields, training equipment, scholarships, and more. But even with this transformation, some athletes still face hurdles in equal access and protections. 

Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our recent reports about the role of Title IX in promoting women athletes and some of the work still needed to fully support these competitors. 

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Title IX has transformed sports, but more can be done to ensure a level playing field

Mia Hamm, Katie Ledecky, and Sue Bird—household names like these also started their Olympic journey somewhere familiar—competing in their university’s colors.

While we have many shining examples of women who have succeeded in sports, women’s overall participation in college athletics still lags behind men’s. This trend is particularly concerning because women make up more of the college population than men. Specifically, we found that while women make up 56% of college students, they only represent 42% of college athletes. 

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This disparity in representation was true for most colleges. But there were some differences in participation rates when looking at the size of schools. For example, mid-sized colleges were more likely than small or large colleges to have a larger difference between the athletic participation rate for women and their enrollment rate. Colleges with football teams were also more likely to have a larger difference between women’s participation in sports and their enrollment rate.

We also looked at changes in athletic programs over time. And we found that over a 10-year period, half of colleges offered the same or fewer varsity sports for women—despite their growing representation on campuses.

When assessing compliance with Title IX, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) looks at several factors. For example, OCR looks at participation rates and whether a college has a history of expanding or eliminating athletic opportunities for women. Based on OCR’s findings, a college may decide to add another sport to help increase athletic opportunities for women.

In our April report, we looked at how OCR handles Title IX athletics complaints. We found that OCR didn’t always follow up with colleges in a timely way to make sure they were addressing concerns about women’s athletics. For example, we found several cases where OCR took 5 or more years to check in with the college about its plans and actions to make sure women athletes had equitable access to athletic opportunities and resources. For those with complaints, this could mean that they have graduated before seeing a response to their concerns. As a result, we recommended that OCR create agency goals to promote more timely monitoring of what colleges are doing to address complaints.

We also found that while OCR has access to important information across colleges, it doesn’t proactively use this data in its oversight. Using this data could allow it to identify potential Title IX violations. We recommended OCR take action on this issue.

Listen to our podcast with GAO’s Melissa Emrey-Arras to hear more about this issue.

Protecting college athletes from sexual harassment and violence so they can shine at home and on the world stage 

College coaches, doctors, and teammates can help bring out the best in an athlete and give them the support they need to rise to greatness.

But that sense of community in college sports culture may make it hard for college athletes to report incidents of sexual harassment or violence—which may also be Title IX violations. Athletes may fear being ostracized by their team if they report an incident. They may also fear losing playing time, their scholarships, or their spot on the team.

Listen to our podcast with GAO’s Kathy Larin to hear more about these challenges.

Colleges are aware of some of these obstacles and are working to help athletes speak up. Half of the 10 colleges we spoke to for our June report told us about efforts to allow athletes to anonymously report incidents. Some colleges also designated an office or staff to help clarify where students and staff can report Title IX issues. A few were also considering additional health and wellness support for athletes.

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As we celebrate our Olympians’ successes in Paris, we also want to make sure they’re safe throughout their athletic careers. Learn more about our work on Title IX and efforts to protect athletes from sexual harassment and violence by reading our June report.

• GAO’s fact-based, nonpartisan information helps Congress and federal agencies improve government. The WatchBlog lets us contextualize GAO’s work a little more for the public. Check out more of our posts at GAO.gov/blog.
   
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