ISR Insights talk explores the long-term impact and ongoing evolution of Title IX
January 17, 2023
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])
ANN ARBOR — The first edition of the Institute for Social Research’s Insights Speaker Series in 2023 touched on the modern impact and interpretation of Title IX legislation in higher education.
Elizabeth Armstrong presented findings from her research with and Sandra Levitsky on Thursday, January 12 concerning the ongoing implementation of Title IX as it pertains to sexual harassment and sexual assault on college campuses.
Though the law itself is just 37 words long, Title IX has had a profound impact on numerous areas of college campus life, and its ongoing effects are often a source of controversy and intense debate, a potentially surprising development given its relatively understated arrival in 1972.
“At the time, people didn’t really realize what incredible potential or impact this law could have. It’s short, simple, and not very elaborate,” said Armstrong in her presentation.
Armstrong focused her presentation around the rapid change of campus sexual assault politics from 2016 to 2020, exploring how a civil rights law intended to foster gender equity has become a contentious and highly legalized industry of its own. They based their findings on a content analysis of 381 different campus sexual misconduct policies, interviews with national experts, and collection and analysis of litigation, media coverage, law review articles, and secondary sources.
View the presentation below and follow ISR’s Insights Speaker Series page for more information on upcoming events.