Incorporation of gender-role stereotypes into the law helped reinscribe those stereotypes onto society. It was also a significant breakthrough for women, in that it did not provide a lower minimum wage for women than for men, as had a previous federal law. This act was intended to prohibit discrimination in hiring, discharge, promotion, and terms and conditions of employment. However, the law did pass, and Title VII, including its later amendments, is the most comprehensive federal law aimed at preventing job discrimination. The primary federal law intended to secure safe and healthy working environments for U.S. employees is the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
States also have occupational health and safety laws and agencies.
Unfortunately, OSHA is understaffed. Unfortunately, much of our understanding of occupational health and safety today comes from research using only males as test subjects. Women's jobs were already healthy and safe - by law if not on the basis of empirical evidence. There is evidence of improvement in the degree of regulatory and research attention paid to women workers and to occupational health hazards that disproportionately affect women. As we enter the 21st century with workplaces still organized around the norm of male bodies and male biographies, it will be difficult to prevent women's differences from being conceived of as deviance and unfitness.