1. Are you surprised that this is a 2006 case? Why or why not?

2. How do you think the fire department should have responded when the women registered complaints about their uniforms? Explain.

3. Why do you think the fire department treated the female employees as it did?

Issue: Whether a fire department’s refusal to provide properly fitting firefighting suits and equipment to female employees and to fail to provide private bathroom facilities for them constituted gender discrimination.

Facts: For more than eight years, two female firefighters were on the squad and had been issued ill-fitting uniforms that impeded their ability to fight fires and presented safety hazards, and the department refused the women’s requests for properly fitted clothing. The department also refused to provide appropriate shower and bathroom facilities for the women. The fire department disagreed that this was an issue.

Decision: The court held that the department’s refusal to provide proper clothing and facilities for its female employees subjected them to different terms and conditions of employment in violation of Title VII.