Dothard V. Rawlinson Case Study

The Dothard v. Rawlinson case was the first United States Supreme Court case where the bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ) defense was used (Neuberger, 1978). The Supreme Court ruled that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an employer cannot refuse to hire a person based off of their sex. The one exception to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is if sex is a requirement to meet the BFOQ for day to day operations of a company (Neuberger, 1978).
I personally do agree with the reasoning because I believe that everyone should equal rights. Race, size, and weight should not discriminators to someone who is seeking employment in a certain field. As long as a man or a woman meet the minimum qualifications and

are qualified for a job, then he or she should be awarded the opportunity to be gainfully employed. As with all jobs, you have a probationary phase and if he or she is not meeting the requirements to fulfill the job duties that are laid out, then they shall be let go. That way, you have documentation and facts as to why he or she is not suited for the job. It is my experience as a state trooper that trooper-cadets fresh out of the academy realize that what they thought was going to be a great job turns out to be too dangerous for them, and they resign. As a Field Training Officer, I have also had to recommend that some trooper-cadets be let go because as a seasoned and well trained trooper, I did not feel that he or she possessed the knowledge and skills to be released on their own. Our department ensures that everything is well documented to show why that person was fired.

Reference:
Neuberger, T.S. (1978). Sex as a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification Under Title VII. Labor Law Journal, 29(7), 425-429.