Womenstake

In the Win Column: Natalie Randolph Named Head Coach of High School Football Team

by Rio Romero, Program Assistant,
National Women's Law Center

You may have already come across the Twitter tweets, Facebook status updates, or sensed a flurry of excitement from old college friends that the Super Bowl of college basketball is just around the corner.

Following the NCAA men’s and women’s recent tournament picks, I, and a frenzy of other sports fans, can begin filling out our tournament brackets and tune in to the plays of some of college hoops' great coaches—Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, Pat Summitt at Tennessee, Roy Williams at UNC, and Tara VanDerveer at Stanford. But what you may have missed under all those March Madness headlines was the announcement of Coolidge High School’s (in Washington, D.C.) new head football coach, Natalie Randolph.

Around the World, Women Have Reason to Celebrate and Work to Do

by Amy Quinn, Senior Policy Analyst,
National Women's Law Center

As the 100th International Women’s Day is observed today around the world, women have much to celebrate. Today’s women and girls have inherited a path made smoother by the brave efforts of our mothers and grandmothers. Yet International Women’s Day is not only about celebrating the accomplishments of the women who came before us, but also about renewing our commitment to leaving a better world for the women who will follow us.

Women’s achievements and continuing challenges are not mere abstractions, but concrete features of our own lives and family histories. As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Senegal (2005-2007), my own thoughts on this day include the experiences of the women of my family here in the U.S., as well as the women of my host family in Senegal.

Looking forward to 2014 in Sochi

by Nicole Marschean, Intern,
National Women's Law Center

As I watched the U.S.A. Men’s Hockey team step off the podium after receiving their silver medals, I couldn’t distinguish if I was more upset by the team’s thrilling overtime loss or by the abrupt end of the 2010 Winter Games. In the past two weeks, I have become accustomed to checking the medal standings on Google and coming home every night to watch incredible performances by world-class athletes. Now, I will have to wait another four years for another two-week span of intense winter sport coverage. 

Upon reflection, I feel the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games showcased women’s accomplishments, but at the same time has highlighted the inequality still faced by female athletes. Since the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924, the schedule has expanded to include seven sports and over 40 events available to women.

Weekly Round-Up

by Andrea Maruniak, Program Assistant, 
National Women's Law Center

In spite of her injury, Lindsey Vonn became the first American woman to win the gold medal in Olympic downhill (reported by The New York Times).

Sarah Seltzer at RH Reality Check analyzed the portrayal of gender roles at the 2010 Winter Olympics. 

Slate considered child care legislation under the Obama Administration.

Our Bodies Our Blog reported on a bill introduced in Georgia that falsely asserts that abortion providers in the state of Georgia solicit Women of Color to have abortions based on the race or sex of the fetus.

Deborah Frett of the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation wrote at Huffington Post about opportunities for women workers in the new economy, include green jobs.

A Legal Victory for Women in Sports

by Dina Lassow, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

The Ninth Circuit recently issued a great opinion reversing a district court decision that would have greatly complicated Title IX athletics cases by imposing new requirements on athletes who file lawsuits challenging discrimination.

In the case, Mansourian v. UC Davis, the Court of Appeals reinstated the claims of women wrestlers who had sued the university for violations of Title IX, the federal law that bars sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funding, after they were barred from wrestling. The district court judge, who clearly did not understand the Title IX athletics policies, applied a burdensome standard from Title IX sexual harassment cases, and held that the women first had to provide appropriate university officials with notice of their discrimination and an opportunity to fix it. The district court then dismissed the case based on its finding that the women wrestlers had not met that standard. 

The Ninth Circuit – relying on an amicus brief filed by the National Women’s Law Center - emphatically rejected the finding that the sexual harassment standard was applicable. In so doing, the Court recognized that decisions about participation opportunities and how to allocate resources between male and female teams are official policy decisions made by the institution, so that the school does not need to be informed about its decisions by the athletes. Thank goodness the court realized that women and girls do not need any more barriers to equity. 

Title IX’s Lasting Effects

by Neena Chaudhry, Senior Counsel,
National Women’s Law Center 

As we watch the Olympics, we can’t help but marvel at the athletic abilities of the world’s athletes. But for most young men and women, participating in sports will not lead to an Olympic medal. It will, however, lead to other great and long-lasting effects in the form of greater educational, work and health outcomes. Those are the findings of two separate studies by economists that are profiled in the New York Times.

According to the article, the studies confirm that the benefits of sports that many of us have long touted—better grades, higher self-esteem, and lower teenage pregnancy rates—are a direct result of participating in sports. More specifically, one of the studies isolates the variable of sports participation from other factors such as school size and social and personal factors and demonstrates that Title IX, which led to a tremendous increase in girls’ sports participation, has had a direct effect on women’s education and employment. Another study shows that the increase in girls’ sports participation caused by Title IX was associated with a 7 percent lower risk of obesity 20 to 25 years later for girls who were in high school in the 1970s. 

Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day

by Nicole Marschean, Intern,
National Women's Law Center

I am part of a new generation of female athletes.

I was born in 1990, three years after the first National Girls and Women in Sports Day and 18 years after the passage of Title IX. I was lucky to benefit from athletic opportunities specifically geared towards young girls. I participated in swimming and basketball and even dabbled in gymnastics after the strong showing of the “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. 

My participation in and love of athletics would not have been possible without the many strong women who blazed the trails before me. Without women athletes like Billie Jean King and Nancy Lieberman, I would not have had the role models and opportunity to play. When I practiced my hook shot in my high school gym, I was Lisa Leslie; when I sprinted across the 25 yards of my high school pool, I was Jenny Thompson; and when I kicked around a soccer ball in my backyard, I was Mia Hamm.

It is these influential women whom I wish to honor as I participate in National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

It is my hope that every little girl will have the same privileges that I have enjoyed as a female athlete.

This National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Urge Schools to Support Their Female Athletes

by Neena Chaudhry, Senior Counsel,
National Women’s Law Center 

On February 3, 2010, join NWLC in celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day. On this day every year, advocates, students, and parents across the country show their support for women and girls in sports by hosting and participating in community events. NWLC will mobilize supporters to contact Congress in support of federal high school athletics data bills.

These bills would require high schools to publicly disclose gender equity information about their athletics programs. Currently, a federal law requires colleges to make such information publicly available each year, but high schools are not required to disclose these data, making it difficult to ensure fairness in high school athletics programs.

Recently, the D.C. Council passed a bill modeled after the federal high school athletics data bills. The Title IX Athletic Compliance Act of 2009 would require investigations into the athletics programs at all D.C. public schools, including the collection of data on the number of male and female participants in athletics as well as expenditures by team. The bill has been referred to Congress – if ultimately enacted, the law would also require the establishment of a five-year plan to bring schools into compliance with Title IX athletics regulations and policies.

Stay tuned for what happens in D.C. and at the federal level regarding this issue. To take action in support of the federal high school athletics data bills, check out our website. For more information about planning a community event for National Girls and Women in Sports Day, check out these coalition resources.

Weekly Round-Up

by Andrea Maruniak, Program Assistant,
National Women's Law Center

The New York Times told the story of Robert H. Landau, a unique advocate for girls' sports who has filed many complaints over the years with the Department of Education in support of young female athletes.

Latina.com discussed the case of an Arizona woman who was detained while nine months pregnant and forced to remain in shackles while she gave birth.

An investigative report in The Colorado Independent explored the complicated process involved with trying and failing to find insurance that covers maternity care.

Title IX Blog discussed the case of a former basketball coach who was awarded $28,000 in damages by a San Diego jury after her position was terminated after she spoke out against inequalities in women’s athletics. 

Your (Wo)man in Washington® posted discussing the connection between the “carework” performed by women and the low numbers of women in decision-making and leadership positions.

Weekly Round-Up

by Andrea Maruniak, Program Assistant, 
National Women's Law Center 

Choices Campus Blog discussed the ways in which the U.S. lags behind other countries in implementing family-friendly work policies, such as paid sick leave, paid paternal leave and breastfeeding breaks.

Hot on the heels of the new mammogram guidelines, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released new recommendations for cervical cancer tests, reported The New York Times.

Jezebel examined college rape prevention programs and the ways in which many of these programs have shifted the focus from women to men.

RH Reality Check explored a case in which a jailed pregnant woman was denied critical care.

A group of women ski jumpers sued the organizers of the Vancouver Olympics after they were denied the right to compete in the games. Their suit failed because, according to the British Columbia Appeal Court, the organizers didn’t have the power to allow the women’s competition. (Via Feministing.)