In the case of Mississippi University for Women et al. v. Hogan, 1981, Joe Hogan, a registered nurse and male applicant to the all-female nursing school at Mississippi University for Women (MUW), was denied admission solely based on his gender. He sued MUW arguing that this violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection under law. The U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hogan by a vote of 5-4 stating that MUW's policy did indeed violate the Equal Protection Clause as it discriminated against men without sufficient justification or an "exceedingly persuasive" reason related to important governmental objectives which could not be achieved through less discriminatory means.

In the dissenting opinion for Mississippi University for Women et al. v. Hogan, Justice Blackmun argued that the majority's decision failed to consider the historical context of discrimination against women in education and society at large. He contended that single-sex institutions like MUW serve a legitimate purpose by providing educational opportunities specifically tailored to women who have been historically disadvantaged in higher education settings due to societal bias and stereotypes. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's view that MUW’s nursing program perpetuated traditional gender roles; instead, he believed it challenged them by encouraging women into professional careers traditionally dominated by men. The justice also expressed concern over potential implications of this ruling on other single-sex public institutions such as prisons or schools designed to address unique needs of one sex.