Bernice Sandler (1928-2019) was the godmother of Title IX, a woman who was fed up with gender discrimination she faced and decided to do something about it.
Bernice Sandler (1928-2019) was the godmother of Title IX, a woman who was fed up with gender discrimination she faced and decided to do something about it.
You’re probably familiar with rebels without a cause, but what about rebels with a cause? This month on Womanica, we’re talking about women who broke rules that were meant to be broken. From the “Godmother of Title IX” Bernice Sandler, to the most prominent figure of the People Power Revolution, Corazon Aquino, to the “Queen of Civil Rights” Ruby Hurley, these women took major risks to upend the status quo and create meaningful change.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, Abbey Delk, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Womanica.
To kick off a new year, this month we’re talking about Rebels WITH a cause: women who broke rules that were meant to be broken.
Were you a student athlete growing up? Have you ever thought about the laws that allowed you to participate in these sports? What about the ability to report and see through incidents of sexual harassment at institutions? Today, we are talking about the godmother of Title IX, a woman who was fed up with gender discrimination she faced and decided to do something about it.
Let’s meet Bernice Sandler.
Bernice Resnick was born on March 3, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Germany and Russia that ran a women’s sportswear store in New Jersey.
When she was born, her name was intended to be Beryl [pronounced like barrel] but it was written incorrectly on her birth certificate. Ultimately, her family settled on calling her Bunny.
From a young age, Bunny was acutely aware of the injustices that girls and women faced in American society. At school, she was told she couldn’t run a slide projector or be a crossing guard because of her gender. Undeterred, she continued on to study psychology at Brooklyn College and later earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the City College of New York.
In 1952, Bunny married radio producer Jerrold Sandler and the couple had two children. Bunny was a qualified applicant for many psychology positions but she struggled to find work in her field. As a result she took up work in other fields including being a preschool teacher, a guitar instructor, and a secretary.
In 1969, she returned to education and earned a doctorate in counseling from the University of Maryland. Following her graduation, she applied for one of the several open faculty positions at the university. Despite her many qualifications for the position, she was rejected.
Bunny learned from one of her male colleagues that her sex was the reason she was rejected from the role. He said, “you come on too strong for a woman.” When Bunny applied for another open position, the hiring manager rejected her solely for being a mother saying it would make her an unreliable worker.
Prior to this rejection, Bunny had never identified with the feminist movement. Now, she understood feminism in contrast to the sex-based discrimination she was facing as a working woman.
Bunny began to research how these institutions were legally justifying their discriminatory practices. At first, she assumed they must be breaking a law but quickly, it became apparent that many policies existed which allowed and perpetuated this form of discrimination.
Bunny investigated former examples of activism that gave rise to federal anti discrimination policy. In the Civil Rights Act of 1964, she was disappointed to find that it did not prohibit sex discrimination in education. But eventually, Bunny came upon one of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s executive orders from the year 1965. This order, Executive Order 11246, forbade federal contractors from employment discrimination in race, color, national origin, or religion. A footnote from 1968 revised the order to include sex.
A lightbulb went off for Bunny. Given that most universities had federal contracts, this meant they were forbidden from sex based discrimination. With help from the director of the Federal Contract Compliance at the Department of Labor, Bunny developed a legal complaint against higher institutions. Bunny also collaborated with the Women’s Equity Action League to file a class action complaint against 250 American colleges and universities.
Bunny’s actions caught the attention of Congress. With Bunny’s help, CongresswomanEdith Green held the first Congressional hearings on sex discrimination in education. Congresswoman Patsy Mink took up the mantle and drafted a bill addressing sex discrimination that passed in the House. As it moved to the Senate, it continued to gain traction. It passed and became known as Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The statute is short and to the point. It reads:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
This subsequently barred universities and other organizations from discriminating on the basis of sex in areas including, but not limited to, admissions and employment. It granted women a right to participate in athletics and to report sexual harassment.
After the passage of Title IX, Bunny continued her advocacy for equality of the sexes. She dedicated herself to learning more about rates of sexual harassment and sexual violence on campuses and worked to educate campus communities and prospective students alike on these issues.
In 2019, Bunny passed away. She was 90 years old. Bunny’s trajectory from underemployed and overqualified to a pioneer of Title IX reminds us the importance of noticing and calling out the discrimination we see around us.
All month, we’re talking about rebels with a cause. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!