NOW Press Release

The Michigan State Senate voted on a bill Thursday that would amend the 1976 Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to permit single-sex public schools, classes or programs in Michigan. The bill, SB 1305, passed the Senate 32-5. This is the second single-sex school bill to pass in Michigan, and the state is dangerously close to endorsing gender segregation in its public schools.

Today should be a day of celebration: 34 years ago today, Congress passed Title IX, the civil rights law prohibiting gender discrimination in education programs and activities receiving federal funds. But we are not in a celebratory mood, as we face state and federal efforts to sex-segregate public schools.

The National Organization for Women has fought for the rights of women since our founding. We have fought to eliminate sex bias and stereotypes, to include girls in sports, and to achieve equal educational opportunities at all levels of learning. It is inconceivable today that we must fight for our daughters -- including my own daughters -- to be able to sit next to, and be educated alongside boys.

The Michigan Legislature is continuing to work on several bills that attempt to weaken Title IX equal education guarantees. We strongly oppose these bills because the separation of boys and girls, and the underlying (and false) assumption that girls and boys are so different that they shouldn't even be educated together, introduces harmful gender stereotypes into public education. This could lead to, among other possible outcomes, emphasizing math and science for boys, and for girls, less rigorous course work. Equally troubling, these bills violate the U.S. Constitution and Title IX, and if such segregation is allowed to move forward, it will set a dangerous precedent for all other civil rights laws and protections for women.

The issue of single-sex education is being promoted by some educators and parents who think it is innovative. Supporters suggest that single-sex classrooms are a way to give parents a "choice" in their children's education. Parents, however, have no guarantee that their girls will receive the same educational opportunities as their boys, and years of experience suggest that girls will get the short end.

Contrary to what supporters are saying, research does not show that gender is an accurate, consistent, or even useful determinant of educational needs. Why not put this misplaced energy into offering all of our students smaller classes and better teacher-to-student ratios and establish regular classrooms where every child can receive the benefits? As we should have learned by now, "separate but equal" has no place in public education.