In the case of Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp., the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ida Phillips, a woman who was denied employment because she had preschool-aged children. The company's policy did not apply to men with children of the same age. This decision marked an important step forward for gender equality as it was one of the first cases to interpret Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which prohibits employers from discriminating based on sex, race, color, national origin or religion. The court held that even if a hiring policy is not overtly discriminatory but results in an adverse impact on one sex over another, it can still be considered illegal under Title VII unless there is a bona fide occupational qualification that justifies such discrimination.

In the dissenting opinion for Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp., Justice Hugo Black argued that the company's policy of not hiring women with pre-school age children, while still employing men with children of the same age, was a clear violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. He believed that this case should be straightforward and did not require remanding to lower courts for further consideration on whether such discrimination might be justified as a "bona fide occupational qualification." According to him, there is no room in Title VII for traditional assumptions about women's roles in society; instead it requires employers to consider applicants on their individual merits rather than based on stereotypes associated with their gender. The majority’s decision to send back this case would only delay justice and perpetuate discriminatory practices against working mothers.