Gender Equality In Policy

The political history of women, relative to the history of politics, is not very long. Even shorter is the notion of gender equity as policy. There have been successes and failures in legislative attempts on many fronts regarding this concern. Quite often it has been a confluence of social and historical changes that have prompted changes in laws and their interpretation rather than any inherent American concern for equality. The impact of legislative efforts has also been markedly different in terms of impact relative to intent. A curious result of all of this is that while women have progressed greatly in terms of educational opportunities, there have been far more limited gains in the workplace. This paper will show how policy has enhanced the educational and extracurricular opportunities of women and conversely has failed in the improvement of vocational equality.

The most important piece of legislation safeguarding educational equity regarding gender is Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972. The impact of this amendment ranges through all levels of education, as it is applicable to any educational institution that receives federal assistance. In 1971, before Title IX, men who completed high school also graduated college at a rate that was eight percent greater than women; as of June 1994, women actually became the majority of this group (Title IX). Likewise, women also represented far more substantial percentages of those receiving graduate and professional degrees (Title IX). While these increases in equal gender participation cannot be attributed to Title IX exclusively, the evidence suggests that it has had a strong positive influence.

Title IX's most pervasive influence has been on creating a far greater sense of gender equity concerning extracurricular activity, most notably athletics, on a primary and secondary level, but of course most famously on the collegiate level. Women's participation has increased fourfold in the 33 years since the ratification of this amendment (Title IX). In high schools the increase is by a multiple of eight (Title IX).

While Title IX has not been the only factor, it seems clear that the general policy adjustments regarding educational equality with regard to gender have impacted American society greatly. While this legislation has not been the sole force behind it, the influx of women accessing higher education has revolutionized the work force. This proliferation has helped to further break down gender bias and prejudice in this country. The way women's athletics are perceived has been completely transformed as well, both in terms of educational value and societal prestige, which in itself is revelatory. One of those who spoke out against the recent reinterpretations of Title IX which may threaten its application to gender equity in collegiate athletic programs was NCAA president Myles Brand (Lederman). This is remarkable, since forcing colleges to represent more equity in their athletic programs was one of the chief aims of Title IX originally, and the NCAA represents the institutions.

In contrast to this is the lack of effectiveness of legislation directed at workers rights. Women still receive less than men, even when differences in human capital are accounted for (Ames, 709). Much legislation has been used to try to bridges this gap, from Affirmative Action to comparable wage laws that have been implemented on a state level. Affirmative action has been marginalized as a piece of legislation, and even when its influence was at its most pervasive, it dealt more with equality regarding race than gender. Even comparable worth laws, which have had success in Canada for example, have been met with resistance here; even when the laws are enacted, more is necessary to ensure that the laws work (723). The clearly points to a sense of ineffectuality concerning the way these laws create a decrease in the gender gap.

The curiosity of this condition is that despite the lack of impactful policy changes, the problem is showing signs of self-adjustment. For example, the gap between gender pay rates has actually decreased over the last quarter century (Blau and Kahn 75-76). Likewise, this gap decreased significantly in