Dothard v. Rawlinson, 433 U.S. 321 (1977), was the first United States Supreme Court case in which the bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ) defense was used.

After Rawlinson filed her suit, Alabama passed a regulation requiring that guards be the same sex as the inmates.

The lower court sided with Rawlinson and claimed that the requirements created an arbitrary barrier to equal employment to women.

The state then appealed to the Supreme Court and claimed that the sex, height, and weight requirements were valid occupational qualifications because of the nature of the job.

On the issue of whether women could fill close contact jobs in all male maximum security prisons, the Court ruled 6-3 that the BFOQ defense was legitimate in this case.