Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 had the same effect on gender discrimination as Brown v. Board had on race discrimination in schools.
Title IX states that "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"
The effect of this is that women, for the first time, were required to be given equal education, both in terms of financing and opportunity, in a way that had never been done before.
The coolest way to trace the effect of Title IX is the explosion of women's sports. Schools finally were required to provide equal athletic opportunity and women were hungry to play.
