Final answer:
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment provides a legal foundation for fighting against discrimination based on various attributes like race and sex. The Supreme Court has applied this clause in cases to ensure equal rights, and its use has been pivotal in civil rights advancements for both racial minorities and women.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment ensures that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. This clause has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to apply to cases of discrimination on different bases, including race, color, ethnicity, sex, and more. Historically, the Supreme Court affirmed this principle in various landmark cases, including those that specifically address discrimination on the basis of race, such as desegregation cases, and those that include sex, like in employment discrimination.
One of the key moments in the application of the Equal Protection Clause to sex discrimination was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, in Title VII, prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of sex, among other categories. This act was a significant step forward, reflecting the growing recognition that women, much like racial minorities, deserve equal protection under the law. Notably, the hope that sex discrimination would be addressed as firmly as racial discrimination by the Court has been a continuous aspect of the fight for women's rights.
The context of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause shows an ongoing journey toward fuller equality. Equally important has been the recognition that states must not enact laws that deny any person equal protection, which has been a central theme in civil rights progress in the United States.