professional progress, assertions that we also heard during many of our 

 site visits to selected campuses. 



Some grant-making agencies, imiversities, and laboratories have instituted 

 policies and practices designed to foster greater female participation in the 

 sciences. Some of these are aimed at encouraging more women to pursue 

 and to persist in education in the sciences. Others provide time off and 

 fewer teaching duties so junior faculty can balance work and family life 

 while beginning a university career. In addition, some pohcies and 

 practices seek to expand the recruiting pool for jobs in the sciences and 

 make them more attractive to women. 



In this report, we are making recommendations to the Administrator of 

 NASA, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of NSF that they take 

 actions to ensure that compliance reviews of grantees are conducted as 

 required by Title IX regulations. 



Rark^rOlind with certain exceptions. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 



" requires all entities receiving any fonn of federal financial assistance to 



prohibit sex discrimination in their education programs or activities, 

 which are defined broadly under Title IX to include all the operations of 

 the entity. Because most postsecondary schools have students who 

 receive federal financial assistance, such as federally supported student 

 aid. Title IX apphes to most 2-year and 4-year schools, both public and 

 private. In addition to postsecondary schools, many other recipients of 

 federal educational grsints, such as K-12 school districts, private 

 laboratories, and museimis, are also subject to Title IX. Title IX's 

 provisions apply to all operations and ancillary services of covered 

 programs. For example, the law applies to recruitment, student 

 admissions, scholarship awards, tuition assistance, other financial 

 assistance, housing, access to courses and other academic offerings, 

 counseling, employment assistance to students, health and insurance 

 benefits and services, and athletics. It also applies to all aspects of 

 employment, including recruitment, luring, promotion, tenure, demotion, 

 transfer, layoff, termination, compensation, benefits, job assigmnents and 

 classifications, leave, and training. 



Under Title IX, federal agencies that administer grants are required to 

 conduct several compUance activities. For example. Title IX regulations 



Page 4 GAO-04-639 Gender Issues 



