Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan (1981)
- Docket
- 81-406
- Decided
- 1981-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the state statute which prevented men from enrolling in MUW violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? Conclusion: Yes. The Court held that the state did not provide an "exceedingly persuasive justification" for the gender-based distinction. The state's primary argument, that the policy constituted educational affirmative action for women, was "unpersuasive" to the Court since women traditionally have not lacked opportunities to enter nursing. If anything, argued Justice O'Connor, the statute "tends to perpetuate the stereotyped view of nursing as an exclusively women's job."