Title: A resolution affirming, commemorating, and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the enactment of title IX, applauding the increase in educational opportunities available to all individuals, regardless of sex or gender, and recognizing the tremendous amount of work left to be done to further increase those opportunities.
Policy area: Education

Summary:
This resolution (1) recognizes the increase in educational opportunities, including in sports, for women and girls since the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and (2) encourages the Department of Education and the Department of Justice to ensure that students have a safe learning environment by working to ensure schools prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 691 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 691

 Affirming, commemorating, and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 
     enactment of title IX, applauding the increase in educational 
   opportunities available to all individuals, regardless of sex or 
 gender, and recognizing the tremendous amount of work left to be done 
                to further increase those opportunities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 23, 2022

 Mrs. Murray (for herself, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, 
Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, 
Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, 
 Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Leahy, Mr. 
Lujan, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Padilla, 
Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Smith, Mr. Tester, 
Ms. Warren, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Rosen, and Mr. Hickenlooper) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
               on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Affirming, commemorating, and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 
     enactment of title IX, applauding the increase in educational 
   opportunities available to all individuals, regardless of sex or 
 gender, and recognizing the tremendous amount of work left to be done 
                to further increase those opportunities.

Whereas in 1972, President Richard M. Nixon signed into law title IX of the 
        Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) (referred to in 
        this preamble as ``title IX'');
Whereas in 2002, Congress passed a joint resolution establishing that title IX 
        may be cited as the ``Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education 
        Act'';
Whereas title IX prohibits any institution that receives Federal education 
        funding from discriminating against students or employees on the basis 
        of sex;
Whereas sex discrimination includes discrimination based on--

    (1) pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, and medical 
conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, and termination of pregnancy;

    (2) actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex 
characteristics;

    (3) sex stereotypes; and

    (4) sex-based harassment, including sexual harassment and assault, 
dating violence, domestic violence, and sex-based stalking;

Whereas since 1972, the United States has made great progress in providing 
        educational opportunities to women and girls and, in 2022, women earned 
        the majority of doctoral, master's, and associate degrees;
Whereas in the 2020-2021 academic year, women earned approximately 60 percent of 
        the bachelor's degrees awarded by institutions of higher education in 
        the United States;
Whereas since 1972, the participation of women and girls in sports has increased 
        by 1,057 percent in high school and greater than 600 percent in college, 
        providing women and girls with the opportunity--

    (1) to develop leadership and teamwork skills;

    (2) to earn athletic scholarships to help finance a college degree; and

    (3) to become successful professional athletes;

Whereas despite the progress that has been made in higher education and 
        athletics, women, girls, pregnant or parenting students, and lesbian, 
        gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and gender non-conforming 
        (LGBTQI+) individuals in the United States are still frequently denied 
        equal educational opportunities;
Whereas pregnant and parenting students are more likely to drop out of high 
        school compared to other students, only 50 percent of teenage mothers 
        earn a high school diploma by the age of 22, 38 percent of Black teen 
        mothers and 36 percent of Latina teen mothers never obtain a diploma or 
        GED, and fewer than 2 percent of all teen mothers graduate college by 
        age 30, leading to decreased opportunities for continuing education and 
        employment;
Whereas a 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office found that, 
        compared to White girls, Black girls were 5 times more likely and 
        American Indian and Alaskan Native girls and multiracial girls were 
        nearly 2 and a half times more likely to receive an out-of-school-
        suspension;
Whereas the number of baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, 
        and math earned by women has decreased over the past decade and, as of 
        the 2019-2020 academic year, women earn only--

    (1) 39.1 percent of physical science degrees;

    (2) 18.7 percent of computing degrees;

    (3) 20.9 percent of engineering degrees; and

    (4) 42.4 percent of mathematics degrees;

Whereas despite representing 60 percent of all students enrolled in colleges and 
        universities in the United States, women hold almost 2/3 of all 
        outstanding student debt ($929,000,000,000 of the total 
        $1,762,000,000,000), and the average amount of student debt owed by a 
        woman following the completion of a baccalaureate degree is $2,700 more 
        than the average amount of student debt owed by a man;
Whereas men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions, while women 
        make up approximately--

    (1) 6.4 percent of the chief executive officers of companies included 
in the S&P 500;

    (2) 18 percent of Governors;

    (3) 31 percent of executive officers elected in statewide elections; 
and

    (4) 30 percent of college and university presidents;

Whereas when data is disaggregated, women of color have lower rates of--

    (1) leadership positions; and

    (2) science, technology, engineering, and math degrees;

Whereas despite constituting a majority in their field or industry, women remain 
        underrepresented in leadership positions and, for example, constitute--

    (1) 50 percent of law school graduates over the past 20 years, but only 
31 percent of non-equity partners and 21 percent of equity partners at 
major law firms;

    (2) 76 percent of the health care workforce, but only 27 percent of the 
chief executive officers of hospitals; and

    (3) 44 percent of all National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 
I, Division II, and Division III student athletes, but only 14 percent of 
the athletic directors in Division I sports;

Whereas since the enactment of title IX in 1972, inequities in participation 
        opportunities for women and men NCAA athletes have persisted, with women 
        having 60,000 fewer opportunities than men for the 2020-2021 school 
        year;
Whereas women continue to experience sexual harassment and assault--

    (1) in elementary and secondary schools;

    (2) at colleges and universities; and

    (3) in the workplace;

Whereas among individuals in elementary or secondary school, 1 in 4 girls will 
        experience some form of sexual abuse before turning 18 years old, with 
        more than 50 percent of girls in grades 7 through 12 experiencing sexual 
        harassment;
Whereas multiple studies have confirmed that--

    (1) 1 in 5 women and 1 in 4 transgender or gender non-conforming 
students are sexually assaulted on college campuses; and

    (2) approximately 20 percent of girls have been the victims of sexual 
assault or attempted sexual assault while in high school;

Whereas experiencing sexual harassment and discrimination can--

    (1) lead to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation; 
and

    (2) have severe educational and financial consequences and negatively 
impact academic achievement, including dropping out of school; and

Whereas students face pervasive discrimination and harassment on the basis of 
        sexual orientation and gender identity in school, on college campuses, 
        and in the workplace, which impedes the ability of the students to fully 
        access the educational opportunities to which the students are entitled: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) applauds the tremendous increase in educational 
        opportunities for women and girls, including in sports, since 
        the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 
        U.S.C. 1681 et seq.);
            (2) encourages the Department of Education and the 
        Department of Justice to protect the rights of students to have 
        safe learning environments by working to ensure schools prevent 
        and respond to discrimination and harassment on the basis of 
        sex, including based on--
                    (A) pregnancy, childbirth, termination of 
                pregnancy, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, 
                childbirth, and termination of pregnancy;
                    (B) actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender 
                identity, and sex characteristics;
                    (C) sex stereotypes; and
                    (D) sex-based harassment, including sexual 
                harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic 
                violence, and sex-based stalking; and
            (3) recognizes the work that still remains to be done to 
        secure the rights and opportunities guaranteed by title IX of 
        the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) that 
        no federally funded educational institution shall discriminate 
        against any individual on the basis of sex.
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