by Neena Chaudhry, Senior Counsel
National Women’s Law Center
The women of Texas A&M’s basketball team, who advanced to the Elite Eight this past weekend, are a Title IX success story. But like any story, there is a history. As the New York Times reported, Texas A&M did not always support its female students, let alone its female athletes. Women had to sue to be admitted to this formerly all-male military institution, and even after they were allowed to join the Corps of Cadets, they faced severe sexual harassment. One student who faced such harassment in the late 1970s filed a successful lawsuit against the university demanding equal treatment, and when she graduated in 1980, the president of the university refused to shake her hand.
While we'd like to think otherwise, discrimination against women in sports and in the military persists today, despite the advances we have seen. Interestingly, there has always been a connection between sport and war, with the ancient Olympics being seen as a way of preparing men for battle. Of course, women were considered too delicate to fight wars and hence to play sports. Fortunately, we have moved beyond such extreme barriers, but we are not yet at a point where we can pronounce discrimination against women ancient history.
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