Title IX and the Global 1970s: Women's Sports Activism in International Perspective

Abstract

Title IX, a piece of federal legislation passed in 1972, spurred dramatic growth in the opportunities for women and girls to participate in sports and athletics in the United States, especially in the 1970s. Whereas only 1 out of 27 high school girls participated in sports in 1971, by the end of the decade the figure was 1 out of 3. These breakthroughs were confined to the U.S. Women’s sports activism did not emerge as a global phenomenon until the 1990s. A key factor in facilitating its emergence were the networks and coalitions encouraged by the United Nations World Conferences on Women, beginning with Mexico City in 1975 and especially Beijing in 1995.