By extension, this decision was expected to pave the way for a more equitable society.

The Civil Rights Act also served other equal-rights movements, such as the women's movement. This law gave women's rights activists in the 1970s legal standing to fight for equal pay and anti-sexual harassment policies. Furthermore, feminist theorists like Patricia Hill Collins pointed out black women faced dueling prejudices regarding their gender and race (Collins 2004). This integration of race and gender as interlocking systems of domination has had profound influences on the development of black feminist thought.

Feminists like Collins have drawn on the issues raised by the civil rights movement to articulate how women of color have different experiences and needs from their female counterparts.

The Civil Rights Movement also had important contributions to changes in the structure and role of the American family. In 1993, for example, the Family and Medical Leave Act...
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