The Women on Whose Shoulders We Stand
A few weeks ago a friend told me that he stopped following my Facebook feed because I was posting too much stuff about “women’s rights.” This incident made me think about what I posted normally and I realized that I SHOULD post something about women’s rights. It’s a great incentive to educate myself more about this topic.
I am reading a book called Notorious RBG, about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Baden Ginsburg. The book starts with a dedication:
“To the women on whose shoulders we stand.”
Once you start reading, this dedication becomes oh so Chrystal clear. Ruth has a fascinating life story of a Brooklyn Jewish girl from humble background who despite numerous obstacles and rejections, graduated first place from Columbia University Law School, became the first female tenure track professor at the same school, argued and won numerous cases of discrimination (including her own salary discrimination at both Rutgers and Columbia), ultimately became a Supreme Court judge who continues to fight on behalf of our human rights. While all that she raised 2 kids and had a wonderful marriage with her husband Marty, also a lawyer.
We tend to take many of our rights for granted but the book reminds us of all the legislative work that perpetuated some of the cultural change and made things possible. You also realize that many of the arguments that are brought forward by politicians today have not changed since the 1960’s so the work is never done.
In 1971 RBG worked on a case called Struck v. Secretary of Defense. Air Force Captain Susan Struck got pregnant and was told that unless she had an abortion (which surprisingly was allowed in the armed forces but not in the USA), she will be dismissed from the air force. Susan wanted to keep both the job and the baby.
RBG then wrote about policies that were supposedly aimed at protecting women:
“Decisions of this Court that span a century have contributed to this anomaly: presumably well-meaning exaltation of women’s unique role in bearing children has, in effect restrained women from developing their individual talents and capacities and has impelled them to accept a dependent, subordinate status in society.”
“… the conclusion is inescapable that the regulation directing Captain’s Struck’s discharge reflects blatant prejudice against women for a condition peculiar to their sex.. If involuntary discharge of a women on the ground of her pregnancy is not sex discrimination, nothing is!”
The Solicitor General was seeing a loss coming and persuaded the air force to change its policy of automatically discharging pregnant women. The case was dismissed but for RBG it was just a start for many other cases to come.
