Expanding Protections: How Title IX Changes Affect Reporting of Sexual Assault and Harassment

• In Event: Sexual Assault in Educational Settings

Abstract

Sexual assault remains pervasive and underreported in educational settings, especially among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) who face unique barriers (Briones-Robinson et al., 2016). Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational institutions but has historically lacked clear provisions for SGM individuals. Protections for SGM students have fluctuated significantly over time, with notable changes under Obama, Trump, and Biden's administrations being just a few examples. These frequent policy shifts complicate efforts to study and address this issue comprehensively. Biden's Executive Order 14021 in 2021 expanded Title IX's scope to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, aiming to reduce barriers to disclosure and foster a supportive environment. Our study examines whether this policy change positively impacted reporting rates for SGM individuals. Using NCVS data (2017–2022), we employed a difference-in-differences design to compare reporting rates among SGM students versus heterosexual and cisgender peers across pre- and post-order periods. Preliminary findings suggest people in educational settings post-Order 14021 were less likely to report sexual assault to law enforcement compared to those outside educational settings. While SGM students were slightly less likely to report overall, neither this difference nor the intervention's impact on their reporting behavior was statistically significant.

Authors

• Flavia Mandatori, University of Pennsylvania

• Hon Kiu To, University of Pennsylvania