Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Legacy

Shattering glass ceilings for herself and all women, Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a major impact and changed the society standards for women. She impacted women's rights drastically in education, the workplace, women's health and reproductive rights, and so much more:

• Education: RBG set an example of women’s right in higher education by being one of nine women out of a class of 500 at Harvard Law School. Her dissents and opinions fought for women's rights in education. The pivotal decision in Virginia v. United States prohibited state funded schools from not admitting women. This also changed the view of the American public to accept and expect equal female access to education.

• Workplace: She paved the way for progress for equal pay for equal work across genders. By dissenting in Ledbetter v. Goodyear, she brought the spotlight to the dramatic and unconstitutional gender pay gap in America. Subsequent Supreme Court decisions and rulings at the local and state levels fortified equal pay practices.

• Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights: RBG was an advocate for female health and reproductive rights including well-known dissents for prohibiting insurance coverage of birth control and various abortion methods. Her dissents including Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and Gonzales v. Carhart shaped public opinion, case law, and local and state level rulings to protect female reproductive rights. ​​​​​​​

• And So Much More: Even before taking her seat on the Supreme Court bench, she made strong headway for women's financial independence, allowing women to apply for bank accounts, mortgages, and credit cards without a male cosigner and the establishment of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.