Historical Context
First Women in the Olympics
The first year women were allowed to participate in the olympics was 1900. Unfortunately, they were only allowed to play "ladylike" sports like golf and tennis. It was not until 1928 when they started competing in track and gymnastics. There were protests against this because some men feared this would harm women's fertility.
Prior to Title IX: NCAA
Before Title IX came into play, the NCAA offered absolutely no female scholarships. There were also no championships for females; now there is even a March Madness held for women. It was not until Title IX that colleges were forced to give scholarships to women. This did not happen until 1973 when the NCAA gave the first scholarships to females through the University of Florida.
From 1971 to 1994, women participation in intercollegiate sports increased by 73,680. Men's sports also increased by 17,195 male athletes.
Athletic Participation in NCAA, 1971 and 1994, US General Accounting Office
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm was a US House Representative in 1968. She was actually the first female African American in Congress. She said, “I have been far oftener discriminated against because I am a woman than because I am black.” Although the Civil Rights Acts were coming to an end after being successful, black people were and are still struggling. The fact that it is harder for her to be a woman than black shows how much women's rights were struggling.
US Rep. Shirley Chisholm speech , 1968, election night
Early Sports for Women
In the 1800s to the early 1900s, women were expected to be very femanine and modest. Sports were frowned upon for women because they were not supposed to exert themselves. This was because science in the 19th century found that too much physical activity was bad for a woman's reproductive system. It was said to be too dangerous for women to let out their "limited" energy. Women living in America could not even compete in the olympics until 1920.
As you can see from this image, women were not super slim and in shape for sports, and they dressed to cover their whole bodies.
Women playing tennis, 1922, Library of Congress