-
The 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution. This granted women the right to vote.
-
Ruled that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional and therefore overturned the previous Plessy vs. Furguson.
-
Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job.
-
The 24th Amendment abolishes the poll tax, which was used in 11 southern states a to make it nearly impossible for poor blacks to vote.
-
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. It also allows the federal government to enforce desegregation.
-
In Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co., a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that jobs held by men and women need to be "substantially equal" but not "identical" to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men.
-
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Originally drafted by Alice Paul in 1923, the amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The amendment died in 1982 when it failed to achieve ratification by a minimum of 38 states.
-
Title IX of the Education Amendments bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "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 educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically.