Something happened in the summer of 1993 that would have a profound impact on my life 18 years later. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States. Her legacy is not only one of social justice, it is one of economic inclusion.
On May 29, 2007, Justice Ginsberg wrote the dissenting opinion in a landmark wage case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The central question in the case was the statute of limitations for wage disputes under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In her dissenting opinion, Justice Ginsberg stated that Lilly Ledbetter “may have little reason even to suspect discrimination until a pattern develops incrementally and she ultimately becomes aware of the disparity.” Justice Ginsburg’s argument became the basis for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act passed by Congress in 2009, which incidentally became the first piece of legislation President Obama signed into law.
It was this law that I used to fight for pay equity after returning from maternity leave two years later.