Defending Title IX: Patsy Takemoto Mink and the Politics of Gender Equity

In 2002, Title IX was renamed the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.  Passed in 1972, Title IX mandates gender equity in schools funded by the U.S. federal government.  The amendment transformed women’s educational experiences by promoting equal opportunity for scholarships, academic programs, and sports.  Title IX was passed with relatively little controversy in the midst of a vibrant women’s movement.  However, proponents of male privilege soon attacked the amendment to prevent implementation. My presentation focuses on the efforts of Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color U.S. Congressional representative, to pass and defend Title IX. 

The history of Title IX illuminates the politics of gender equity during the 1970s.  The scholarship of that era charts the emergence of different strands of women’s activism, including liberal, radical, and women of color feminism.  More recent works, however, emphasize that these distinctions overlook more collaborative and fluid forms of politics.  Mink’s career, which has received little academic attention, illuminates how various feminist ideologies coalesced.  Mink was focused on creating laws that ensured equal opportunity for women.  She also sought to transform the gendered scripts of the broader American society by advocating for federal funding for childcare and non-sexist educational curriculum.  Finally, as a Japanese American woman who grew up in the starkly stratified plantation society of Hawaii, Mink understood the triple oppression due to race, class, and gender facing women of color.  These political sensibilities shaped Mink’s efforts to pass and defend gender equity legislation like Title IX.