Final answer:
Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corporation was a pivotal Supreme Court case that dealt with gender-based employment discrimination, where the Court ruled such discriminatory practices violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Step-by-step explanation:
Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corporation (1971)
Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corporation was a landmark Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of gender discrimination in employment practices under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this case, Ida Phillips sued Martin Marietta Corporation for not hiring her based on her gender and because she had preschool-age children, while the company hired men with children of the same age. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Phillips, marking a significant step in the fight against workplace discrimination and establishing that employers cannot use a person's sex as a basis for different hiring or employment practices unless sex is a bona fide occupational qualification.
This case set an important precedent and contributed to the progression of anti-discrimination laws in the workplace, leading to further landmark cases on the subject such as Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, Harris v. Forklift Systems, Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth, Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, and Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc., which clarified and expanded protections against various forms of workplace discrimination and harassment.