Knowing your rights is a key step toward standing up for yourself. For women in the United States, that means being aware of the laws that protect them in everyday life—at work, in school, in healthcare and at home. These laws didn’t always exist but over the years, important changes have been made to help close the gap between how men and women are treated under the law. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most important legal protections that every woman should know about today.
Equal Pay and Fair Treatment at Work
Imagine working just as hard as someone else but getting paid less just because you’re a woman. That used to happen a lot more often—until laws stepped in.
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 made it illegal for employers to pay men and women differently for doing the same job. This means that if a man and a woman are doing work that requires similar skills and effort and under similar conditions, they must be paid equally. This doesn’t just mean salary—it also includes overtime bonuses, and benefits. And if a company is paying someone unfairly they have to fix it by raising the lower wage, not lowering the higher one.
Another key law is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It protects people from being treated unfairly at work because of their sex race, color, religion or where they’re from. Under this law, employers can’t make decisions about hiring, firing, promotions or pay based on your sex. It also means they must take steps to prevent sexual harassment and to act when someone reports it.
In more recent years laws have made sure pregnant workers are treated fairly, too. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which became law in June 2023 gives pregnant workers the right to “reasonable accommodations” at work. That might mean extra bathroom breaks, the chance to sit down more often or time off for doctor visits.
Employers must provide these accommodations unless it would be too difficult, or expensive for the business. As explained by GRB Law this helps ensure pregnant women can keep their jobs without being punished for their medical needs.
School Protections and Equal Opportunities
School is meant to be a place where everyone has the same chance to learn and grow—but that hasn’t always been the case for girls and women.
In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments changed that. This law says that no one in the U.S. can be kept out of an educational program or activity because of their sex—as long as the program gets federal money (and most do). It’s why today girls have the same rights to sports teams, science classes and scholarships as boys.
The law also protects students from sexual harassment and assault on campus. If something like that happens, the school has a legal duty to take action. Back when he introduced the law, Senator Birch Bayh said, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” That promise still holds today.
Reproductive Rights and Medical Care
Few legal topics have changed more in recent years than abortion rights. In June 2022, the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade. That meant the federal right to abortion was no longer guaranteed—and each state could now decide its own rules.
As of 2025, some states allow abortion access while others have banned it or made it very hard to get. This has made the legal landscape confusing and uneven across the country. According to the Brennan Center for Justice “the authority to regulate or ban abortion” is now fully in the hands of individual states.
However, women still have the right to access birth control and federal laws still protect some types of emergency medical care. Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) hospitals that receive federal funding must provide care for medical emergencies.
This can include abortions if a pregnancy is threatening a woman’s life or health. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explained “It’s critical that women facing medical emergencies receive the care they need.” Even in states with strict abortion laws hospitals must act when a woman’s life is in danger.
Safety from Violence and Abuse
For a long time, domestic violence and sexual assault were treated as private matters, not crimes. That changed in 1994 when the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed. This federal law created programs and funding to help victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence.
VAWA helps fund shelters, legal services and counseling. It also gives police departments training and tools to better handle cases involving abuse. The law has been reauthorized several times, with the most recent update in 2022 expanding protections even further. That update gave Tribal courts more power to handle crimes on Native lands and added housing protections for survivors in government-supported homes.
As stated by the Department of Justice, people cannot be denied housing or kicked out of subsidized homes just because they’re victims of abuse. This is an important step in making sure victims don’t end up homeless because of something someone else did to them.
President Joe Biden who helped write the original VAWA back in the ’90s said during the 2022 reauthorization “This bill is a testament to the fact that we can come together… to make sure that women are safe, that families are safe.”
These laws don’t solve everything but they give women powerful tools to protect themselves and their futures. Whether it’s fighting for equal pay, staying safe at home or accessing medical care, legal protections are an important part of that fight. And while the laws keep evolving, knowing your rights—and how to use them—is always the first step.
