Home : Women's Rights

Photo by Ted Kirk, courtesy of The Appleseed Foundation FEATURES > Violation of Incarcerated Women's Civil Rights in NJ > Modern Slavery: Domestic Worker Abuse by Foreign Diplomats in the U.S. > Blog: Sandra Park on Fair Housing for Women > Blog: Lenora Lapidus and Emily Martin on Antiquated Gender Stereotypes in Sex-Segregated Education > Report: A Blueprint for Meeting the Needs of Girls in TYC Custody > Major Supreme Court Decisions on Women's Rights About the Women's Rights Project Since 1972, the ACLU Women's Rights Project has worked to empower women and advance equality. Many people, before and since, have contributed to our effort: ACLU co-founders Jane Addams, Emily Greene Balch, Crystal Eastman, and Jeanette Rankin; Dorothy Kenyon and Pauli Murray, Board of Directors members; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, first Director of the Project; and numerous others. Demanding basic economic and social opportunities for all women — regardless of race, class, or national origin — WRP works to ensure that women and their families can enjoy the benefits of full equality and participation in every sphere of society. More About the WRP >> LEARN MORE > Women's Rights on the Agenda > A Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg > Leaders Through the Years > Project Reports:      2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 The Women's Rights Project focuses on four core areas: Employment WRP advocates on behalf of low-wage immigrant women workers, works to eliminate welfare disparities, and seeks to end workplace discrimination. Violence Against Women WRP is committed to advancing battered women's civil rights, assisting women in their efforts to keep themselves and their children safe, and challenging the housing and employment discrimination experienced by so many battered women, especially low-income and women of color. Criminal Justice WRP addresses the harms to women and girls caught up in the criminal and juvenile justice systems, including their conditions of confinement, and the impact of sentencing and incarceration policies on women and their children. Education WRP is dedicated to ensuring that public schools do not become sex-segregated and that girls and boys receive equal educational opportunities.

ACLU Disappointed in Senates Failure to Consider Fair Pay Legislation (4/23/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union expressed its extreme disappointment in the Senate’s failure to address H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The bill failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to avoid a filibuster and compel a floor vote. The goal of the Fair Pay Act was to restore the right of American workers to seek justice if they find themselves subject to wage discrimination, a right jeopardized by the 2007 Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear.

ACLU Urges Senate to Support Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (4/23/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union reiterated its strong support for H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is being debated on the Senate floor today and is slated for a vote this evening. This legislation is aimed at restoring the right of American workers to seek justice if they find themselves subject to wage discrimination, a right jeopardized by the 2007 Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear.

ACLU Requests Georgia School District Disclose Sex Segregation Plans (4/7/2008)
GREENSBORO, GA -In a letter sent today to the Greene County School District, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia requested that the school district make public any and all plans to segregate Greene County schools by sex. The request - made under Georgia's Open Records Act - includes all policies, memoranda, letters, emails, directives, minutes, handbooks, and all other documents in the school district's possession from the past two years addressing sex-segregation.

ACLU Seeks Sanctions Against New Jersey DOC For Witness Tampering And Retaliation (3/26/2008)
TRENTON – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of New Jersey filed court papers today requesting that the New Jersey Superior Court impose sanctions against the New Jersey Department of Corrections (DOC) for witness tampering, official misconduct and violations of court rules. The ACLU’s motion for sanctions charges that the DOC obtained false and misleading statements from women prisoners about conditions in the prison in an attempt to defend the prison against claims of inhumane treatment. A female prisoner who exposed the DOC’s misconduct reports being beaten as a result.

Domestic Violence Survivor Asks International Tribunal To Hold US Responsible For Human Rights Violations (3/25/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Law School's Human Rights Clinic filed a merits brief with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) detailing their charges that the U.S. broke international law in violating the human rights of a domestic violence survivor. The brief was filed on behalf of Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales), whose three daughters were kidnapped by her estranged husband and killed, and whose domestic violence protection claims were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.