In the U.S., the fight for women’s rights in the workplace has come a long way. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, protecting women’s rights to be paid equal wages as men. In 1978, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed, banning workplace discrimination based on pregnancy. In 2015, King v. Burwell upheld the right for women to receive contraception from their employers through the Affordable Care Act.
Slowly, but surely, America progressed towards greater protection of women’s rights to equal pay, motherhood, and good health. Nonetheless, the majority of working women in the U.S. must sacrifice at least one of these rights if they choose to become mothers. Unlike the rest of the world, the U.S. risks new mothers’ health and financial security by not requiring paid maternity leave.