Best known as a monumental achievement of the civil rights movement, the 1964 Civil Rights Act also revolutionized the lives of America's working women. Title VII of the law made it illegal to discriminate "because of sex." But that simple phrase didn't mean much until ordinary women began using the law to get justice on the job-and some took their fights all the way to the Supreme Court. Among them were Ida Phillips, denied an assembly line job because she had a preschool-age child; Mechelle Vinson, who brought a lawsuit for sexual abuse before "sexual harassment" even had a name; Ann Hopkins, denied partnership at a Big Eight accounting firm because the men in charge thought she needed "a course at charm school"; and most recently, Peggy Young, UPS truck driver, forced to take an unpaid leave while pregnant. Through first-person accounts and vivid narrative, Because of Sex tells the story of how one law, our highest court, and a few tenacious women changed the American workplace forever.

Through first-person accounts and vivid narrative, Because of Sex tells the story of how one law and a few tenacious women changed the American workplace forever.

About the Author
Gillian Thomas is a Senior Staff Attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Women's Rights Project. She lives in Brooklyn.


Book Information
ISBN 9781250138088
Author Gillian Thomas
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint St Martin's Press
Publisher St Martin's Press
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 217mm * 130mm * 20mm