AAUW strongly supports Title IX and opposes any efforts that would weaken its effectiveness or undermine its enforcement. Title IX has made it possible for girls and women to be educated in, and prepared for, careers in athletics, law, medicine, science, and many other fields of interest.

AAUW San Jose supports the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (BAWSI)  with the “Be In The Seats” (BITS) program encouraging women to  go to local women’s and girl’s sporting events as a visible demonstration of support for and interest in sports. Athletics are promoted as a way to enhance all aspects of the lives of girls and women.

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in U.S. schools and ensures all students have access to education. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) is another non-profit that often collaborates with our presentations and events on Title IX.  ERA fights to protect and advance rights and opportunities for women, girls, and people of all gender identities through groundbreaking legal cases and legislation. They have published a Title IX resource which answers questions about Title IX.  Click here to explore their Student Survival Toolkit online or download the pdf.

Santa Clara County Title IX Coordinators Directory

Because the verbiage of Title IX itself is broad in its protections, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) interpretation of the law has evolved over time, progressively focusing on employment discrimination, equity in athletics, sexual harassment, sexual violence and, most recently, the rights of gender-nonconforming and transgender individuals. The law requires each school district to appoint a Title IX Coordinator to ensure that all students have access to education without sex discrimination. Every year the San Jose Branch of AAUW publishes a Directory of Title IX Coordinators 2021-2022 for Santa Clara County as a resource for school administrators, teachers, parents and students, and the community.