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AMERICAN NURSES' ASS'N v. STATE OF ILL.

United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (1986) | 783 F.2d 716

4 min read

TL;DR: Nurses sued Illinois for sex discrimination, alleging lower pay than in male-dominated jobs of "comparable worth." The court reversed a dismissal, holding that while a pure comparable worth claim fails, the nurses could proceed by attempting to prove the state intentionally depressed their wages because of their sex.

Legal Significance: A Title VII claim cannot rest solely on an employer's failure to adopt a wage system based on comparable worth. However, evidence of such disparities, combined with other proof, can support a claim that an employer intentionally discriminated in compensation because of sex, even between different jobs.