Fifty Years of Title IX: How 37 Words Changed America

A “valuable, well-researched and nuanced history” ( Booklist ) of the groundbreaking law that transformed education, athletics, and gender equity in the United States—and the battles still being fought today

In 1972, thirty-seven words quietly entered federal law and ignited a revolution: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Title IX redefined what was possible for women and girls in America’s schools—from access to classrooms and sports fields to protection from sexual harassment and assault. In Fifty Years of Title IX , a book The Washington Monthly calls “an impressive feat,” award-winning journalist Sherry Boschert traces the dramatic story of how this pivotal law came to be, how it has evolved, and why it remains a powerful—and contested—force in the struggle for gender justice.

Through meticulous reporting, Boschert introduces readers to the trailblazers behind the law, including Bernice Resnick Sandler, and the generations who have demanded that its promises be fulfilled. Called “inspiring” by Publishers Weekly , Fifty Years of Title IX “puts a human face” ( Library Journal ) on the fight for gender equity.

As Lucy Jane Bledsoe, author of No Stopping Us Now , writes, Boschert has published “a road map for what it will take to go forward. It is a really important book.”