Title IX & Girls’ Athletic Equity
Every Girl Deserves an Equal Playing Field.
Does the Boys’ Program Get More?
Better fields. Better equipment. Better schedules. More publicity. More resources. Title IX looks at more than whether girls are technically allowed to play.
Unequal Treatment Can Look Like…
Girls practicing on worse fields
Boys receiving better equipment or uniforms
Less favorable practice/game times for girls
Greater support and resources for boys’ programs
Not sure whether what you’re seeing is a Title IX issue? Start here.
Title IX Athletic Equity Evaluation — $225
A focused consultation for families concerned about unequal treatment in school athletics.
Title IX & Equitable Athletics
Securing fair play and equal opportunities for every student-athlete.
Title IX protects female students from sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funding, including discrimination in school athletics. A school does not satisfy Title IX simply because it offers a girls’ team. Female athletes must receive equivalent athletic opportunities, benefits, and treatment across the school’s athletic program.
That can include the quality and availability of athletic facilities, practice fields, locker rooms, uniforms and equipment, coaching, training resources, game and practice scheduling, travel, publicity, and other support for girls’ sports. Title IX also addresses whether schools are adequately meeting female students’ interests and abilities by providing meaningful opportunities to participate in athletics.
Sometimes the inequality is obvious: the boys’ team plays on a well-maintained field while the girls practice somewhere unsafe or poorly equipped. Other times, it is a pattern of smaller disparities—boys consistently receiving prime practice times, newer uniforms and equipment, better facilities, more publicity, or greater access to athletic resources.
You do not need to know whether what you are seeing legally qualifies as a Title IX violation before asking questions. Schiller Justice Center helps students and families across the country evaluate potential sex discrimination in school athletics, understand their rights, and determine what steps may be available to address unequal treatment.
Reach Out If...
-
The boys’ team has better facilities, such as field, gym, locker room, or practice facility, than the girls’ team.
-
Girls are practicing or competing on unsafe, poorly maintained, or inferior facilities.
-
The boys’ teams receive newer or better uniforms, equipment, supplies, or training resources.
-
Girls consistently receive worse practice times or game schedules than comparable boys’ teams.
-
Male athletes have better access to coaches, athletic trainers, weight rooms, medical services, or other support.
-
Boys’ teams receive substantially more school publicity, social-media promotion, announcements, signage, or recognition.
-
Girls’ teams receive worse travel arrangements, lodging, meals, or other away-game support.
-
Your daughter wants to participate in a sport, but the school does not provide a meaningful athletic opportunity for female students.
-
You have raised concerns about unequal treatment of girls’ athletics, but the school has dismissed or failed to meaningfully address them.
-
You keep noticing that the girls’ program is expected to “make do with less” while comparable boys’ programs are treated as a priority.
These issues can arise in any sport, including softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, track and field, tennis, golf, swimming, and other school athletic programs.
