WASHINGTON (AP) – High schools would have to report the number of male and female students in athletic programs and the amount of money spent on each team under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.
Under current law, high schools don’t have to disclose any data on gender equity.
Colleges, because of the landmark Title IX law prohibiting discrimination based on sex at any school receiving federal money, have to prove they’re not discriminating.
“We have made tremendous strides, but we must continue to fight for gender equality and create equal opportunities for girls and boys to excel in sports. This legislation will further improve female participation in high school athletics,” Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said in a statement.
Colleges traditionally show their compliance with Title IX by ensuring that their percentage of female athletes is proportionate to female enrollment, often creating new teams. They can also show a pattern of expanding opportunities for women.
In 2005, the Bush administration released a “model survey” that polls collegiate women about their experiences with their school’s athletic opportunities.
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