The next 40: What's ahead for Title IX

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The athletic career of Ariana Martinez has been one full of opportunity.

Martinez, who recently completed her freshman season on the UCLA women's soccer team, was never denied a chance to play because she was a girl. She grew up with a college scholarship as a realistic goal and a professional career as a possibility.

She had unwavering support from her parents and constant encouragement from her coaches.

Although always grateful for her favorable circumstances, Martinez, 19, didn't realize how much she took for granted until she enrolled in a women's studies course last quarter at UCLA.

The class included a section on Title IX, the landmark legislation that changed the landscape of sports for women and girls.

Passed in 1972, the civil rights law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in educational programs or activities that receive federal funding.

"It really made me appreciate what I have now and what women have done in the past to provide these opportunities," said Martinez. "From work to education to sports, we have so much more available to us than many of them ever had. Without people fighting for Title IX, that is probably not possible."

Since the passage of Title IX, the number of girls participating in high school athletics has skyrocketed from less than 295,000 to more than 3 million.

At the college level, there has been a nearly 450 percent increase in participation by female athletes.

The value of girls playing sports has been well documented in numerous studies. It has been shown to decrease obesity, increase educational and employment opportunities and lead to higher self esteem.

But for all the progress being made, many believe there is still more work to be done.

The American Association of University Women has organized a nationwide effort to study Title IX compliance in high schools.

"AAUW is all about the idea of breaking through barriers for women and girls. That is our mission statement, and we do that wherever those barriers may lie," said Pattie Dix, president of the AAUW Thousand Oaks, Calif. branch. "AAUW is really good at focusing on the employment and education field and what kind of walls women are running up against. We know some of those barriers really begin early in elementary, junior high and high school."

Because Title IX is most associated with college sports, high schools sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

Elizabeth Kristen, the director of the Gender Equity Program at the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center in San Francisco, specializes in Title IX compliance, says many high schools are not in full compliance with the law.

"I think a lot of the time schools bury their heads in the sand about this requirement, and part of the problem is the data on participation is not easy for people to find," Kristen said.

In an economic climate when districts are cutting programs and handing out pink slips, adding more sports may not seem practical. But Kristen believes schools have failed to address the issue even in flush financial times.

"There have been decisions made over the past 40 years that have advantaged boys and disadvantaged girls. At some point, you can't keep making excuses for that," she said. "I think a lot of the changes and improvements we would be looking for wouldn't be that expensive."

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights received 96 complaints last year containing Title IX athletics allegations. Over the last 14 years, the number of Title IX athletic complaints has decreased from an average of 118 per year to an average 92.

About one-third of the complaints are investigated annually, according to Department of Education spokesman Jim Bradshaw.

Martinez took advantage of her athletic opportunities to earn a soccer scholarship to UCLA and a spot on the United States Under-20 national team.

She received an A in her women's studies course, but took away something even more meaningful.

"I now understand how lucky I am to be born when I was, and have women before me who fought for the things I have," she said. "No one has ever said to me, 'No, you can't play because you are a girl.' I have always been told that I could do anything with hard work."

(Contact Rhiannon Potkey of the Ventura County Star in California at rpotkey(at)vcstar.com.)