Part VII: The Age of Equity (1970–1980)

Abstract

This is the seventh of nine segments designed to commemorate the NAGWS Centennial, 1889–1999. This segment will focus on the accomplishments of ten past-presidents who served from 1970 to 1980. During this period, the Division of Girls and Women in Sport (DGWS) became the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS), which allowed for greater independence from AAHPER. The most significant happening in the 1970s was the enactment of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). NAGWS lobbied Congress to strive for equity (Hult, 1991), thereby reinforcing the urgency of equal opportunity. Title IX continues to have a tremendous impact on increasing opportunities for girls and women in sport. Another piece of legislation, the Amateur Sports Act, passed in 1978, had a substantial effect on opportunities for women within the Olympic movement. In addition, a series of coaching clinics continued to train women to coach and teach highly skilled female athletes, while research took a more important focus on the social and psychological aspects of females in sport (Hult, 1991). With the growth of intercollegiate athletics for women occurring at such a rapid puce, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was organized in 1971–1972 to replace the CIAW. Both the CIAW and the AIAW were operated under NAGWS auspices. Separate president served for NAGWS and AIAW, working closely in various aspects. “On June 1, 1979, the AIAW established its own legal identity. In doing so, the nation's largest governing organization of intercollegiate athletic programs separated from the NAGWS of AAHPERD, two organizations that had nurtured the foundling women's athletic association through its early years” (“AIAW on Its Own,” 1980). As AIAW presidents, the following individuals helped to shape women's intercollegiate athletics: Carole Oglesby (1972–1973), Carol Gordon (1973–1974), Leotus Morrison (1974–1975), Laurie Mabry (1975–1976), Peggy Burke (1976–1977), Judy Holland (1977–1978), Charlotte West (1978–1979), and Carol Mushier (1979–1980). The 1970s was a decade of rapid increase of female participating in sport. By the end of the decade, with AIAW becoming a separate legal entity, NAGWS relinquished its control over much of intercollegiate sport.—Shawn Ladda, Manhattan College, Feature Editor.