Title IX, the sweeping federal law enacted in 1972 to guarantee equal opportunity for women in education, hit a milestone anniversary in 2012—and there’s reason to celebrate.
“Title IX opened doors that enabled the cultural revolution of women’s rights to happen,” says Kristen Galles, who specializes in Title IX litigation and policy work at her firm, Equity Legal, in Alexandria, Virginia. “In the 1970s, we had the women’s movement. But Title IX enabled women to get an education and enter the workforce and changed what it means to be female in America.”