The Women’s Equality Act changes New York State law so that sex discrimination is now unlawful in all workplaces in New York, regardless of size.

Until the passage of the Women’s Equality Act, women who worked for very small employers (fewer than four employees) in New York were not protected by any discrimination laws other than the Equal Pay Act, which prohibited wage discrimination under certain limited circumstances.  The Women’s Equality Act is an important step toward ensuring that small businesses are held to the same anti-discrimination standards as larger ones. This should have far-reaching consequences for the women of New York, since it is estimated that more than 60% of private employers in New York State have fewer than four employees.