How did the General Electric Co. v. Gilbert case lead to the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act?

Question

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Answer 1

The Supreme Court decision, General Electric Co. v. Gilbert, had a significant impact on the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. In that case, General Electric (GE) provided nonoccupational sickness and accident benefits to all employees under its sickness and accident insurance plan in an amount equal to 60 percent of an employee's normal straight-time weekly earnings. Several female employees at GE's Salem, Virginia, plant who were pregnant presented a claim for disability benefits under the plan to cover the period they were absent from work as a result of their pregnancies. The company denied these claims on the grounds that the plan did not provide disability benefit payments for such absences. The employees filed suit alleging a violation of Title VII, which prohibits sex discrimination. The Supreme Court ruled that the exclusion of pregnancy-related absences from the plan did not constitute sex discrimination.
As a result of this decision, in an effort to protect the rights of pregnant workers, Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) as an amendment to the Civil Rights Act in 1978. Under the PDA, employers must treat pregnancy just like any other medical condition with regard to fringe benefits and leave policies.