STRENGTH: Bernice Sandler, instrumental in the creation of Title IX, shall be remembered for her tireless efforts in the name of equality.
By Guinivere Kimber, Staff Writer
Born in New York City on March 3, 1928, Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler grew up in a world where gender discrimination was expected and accepted. Women had to work harder to achieve the same things that men could achieve without worry. For example, those who desired to attend college needed higher test scores than men to be accepted. “No one complained — it was just the way things were,” recalled Sandler in a history of Title IX.
Following university, Sandler applied to one of the seven available teaching positions at the University of Maryland, but was not considered. When she asked about the reasoning behind the decision to overlook her application, a male colleague admitted she was more than qualified. “Let’s face it,” he added. “You come on too strong for a woman.”
When interviewed by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine in 1994, Sandler remembered the rejection that set her onto the path that she is celebrated for today. “I don’t think I would have noticed if they’d said ‘you come on too strong,’” she said. What bothered her was “[…] too strong for a woman.”
It was then that Sandler realized that she was being subject to sex discrimination. From there, Sandler began her journey to change the culture on college campuses and eventually pass Title IX in 1972, the revolutionary piece of legislation that banned discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded educational institutions. Sandler used her training in psychology and counseling to dedicate decades of her life towards studying and documenting forms of discrimination that affected women both academically and professionally in education settings. When she began her work, university departments often arbitrarily capped the amount of women hired or disqualified married women. This discrimination reached classrooms as well, where some colleges would keep women from departments they saw as being more suitable for men.
Through her work, Sandler found that there was no federal law that prohibited discrimination against women in educational fields, although she did find an executive order that prohibited sex discrimination by organizations that had federal contracts. She realized that “[…] many universities and colleges had federal contracts, [and] were therefore subject to the sex discrimination provisions under the Executive Order, and that the Order could be used to fight sex discrimination on American campuses.” Sandler later joined the Women’s Equality Action League, and her efforts there led to the first federal investigation of sex discrimination on campuses. She also worked for a Congress subcommittee to combat sex discrimination until Title IX was passed in 1972.
Sandler continued her activism for decades after the law was passed, becoming an influential public speaker and an author. She spent 20 years as the director of the Project on the Status and Education of Women at the Association of American Colleges and became a highly demanded expert witness in discrimination and sexual-harassment cases. In 2013, Sandler was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame, where she is praised for her 20 honorary degrees and “tireless [advocacy] of educational equality for women and girls.”
Today, Title IX is commonly known for its increase in women’s participation in sports, particularly as they make their way through university. However, at its core, Title IX prohibits sex discrimination against students or employees of any federally funded institution. It ensures that each gender receives equal rights to educational programs, financial assistance, and housing. Most recently, Title IX has been associated with the stricter enforcement of policies regarding sexual harassment and assault on campuses. Sandler’s work to pass Title IX set in place the pieces that make today’s #MeToo and Time’s Up movements so powerful; the pieces that keep anyone from saying “[…] too strong for a woman.”