How Lilly Ledbetter’s Activism Affects Today’s Workplaces

When Lilly Ledbetter passed away on October 12, 2024, at the age of 86, America mourned the loss of an Alabama native who made a lasting impact on pay equity and women’s rights in the workplace.

How One Woman Inspired the Fair Pay Act of 2009

Ledbetter began working at Goodyear in the 1970s. In 1998, after 19 years of hard work, she realized that she was being paid significantly less than her male colleagues for the same work.

Armed with this knowledge, Ledbetter took Goodyear to court in 1999, accusing it of gender pay discrimination. 

Initially, Ledbetter was awarded $3.8 million in back pay and damages, but a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling reversed the decision, stating that Ledbetter should have filed her complaint when she received her first discriminatory paycheck!

Ledbetter Highlighted Workplace Discrimination

Ledbetter’s case highlighted the gender pay gap and how it remained deeply rooted in workplaces across the country. 

Yes, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 outlawed wage discrimination based on gender, but even now women earn 84 cents for every dollar a man makes for full-time, year-round work, with even larger disparities for women of color.

Effect on the Women’s Rights Movement

Ledbetter’s determination to fight for her rights sparked a revolution in the broader women’s rights movement, particularly in pay equity. 

President Barack Obama took notice of her fight against gender pay discrimination; in 2009, he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which allowed women workers to file a lawsuit within 180 days of receiving a discriminatory paycheck.

This law laid the groundwork for further efforts to reduce the wage gap and it empowers countless women to challenge any pay discrimination and fight for equal pay.

Image Source: Shutterstock / Vitalii Vodolazskyi