Equal Educational Opportunities

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We harness the power of the law to assert the rights of women and girls who had obstacles placed in their educational paths.

Access to education is a critical component of gender equality and to the ability of women to achieve economic stability and independence. In 1972, a federal law known as Title IX prohibited discrimination based on sex in education—anywhere from preschool through graduate school. In the years since becoming law, Title IX has improved equal educational opportunities for all students by expanding access to athletic opportunities and areas of education historically provided to only one sex, such as in science, technology, engineering and math.

Legal Impact Strategies

As one of the leaders in helping to make real Title IX’s full promise of equality in education, along with colleague organizations, we litigated the first cases leading courts to recognize that sexual harassment in schools was a form of sex discrimination.   

We work within the legislative sphere to advance the rights of women in schools across the country by:

  • Advocating against the federal government’s proposed policy changes that would weaken protections for campus sexual assault survivors
  • Asserting the rights of pregnant and parenting students to continue their educations uninterrupted and with sufficient support for their family caregiving responsibilities
  • Challenging sex-segregated educational programming

Access our resources on equal education

View our Amicus briefs on Equal education

Campus Sexual Assault

In addition to dealing with devastating violations to their bodily integrity and physical safety, victims of campus sexual assault too often face disruptions to their educational and career paths, which can result in permanent damage to job prospects, financial security, and lifetime earnings. We advocate for strong laws and policies that protect students who are subjected to sexual violence on their campus. We also hold schools accountable for failures to meet their obligations to student victims.

Featured Resources