"Because of Sex"

"When Smith introduced the amendment to Title VII, he read this spoof letter from a woman complaining that there are more women than men where she lives, and arguing, 'Doesn't every woman have the right to a husband?' Everyone was laughing—what a huge joke, how silly the idea of women's equality is … Griffiths stood up and said, If we needed some proof for the necessity of this amendment, this chamber just gave it to us. Pretty much silenced the place."

Rebecca Onion at Slate interviews Christina Wolbrecht about the outlawing of sex discrimination in the 1964 Civil Rights Act.