United States 1908

Synopsis

Muller v. State of Oregon was an influential Supreme Court decision that asserted the right of the government to limit the workday for women. Using social science evidence, Louis Brandeis argued before the Court that women who worked long hours on the job suffered both physical and psychological problems. He emphasized the effect this had on their children, so that working for long hours outside the home adversely affected not only women workers themselves, but also their entire family.

Muller gave Congress the right to pass subsequent "protective" legislation that restricted the rights of women workers. This led in turn to the exclusion of women from certain kinds of occupations and employment opportunities. The Muller decision has never been overturned in the same way Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka overturned Plessy v. Ferguson. With the...