Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) alongside Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) made another attempt this week at something many women have been trying to do since 1923: pass the Equal Right Amendment. (ERA). Maloney, along with 50 co-sponsors, reintroduced the ERA into the House as it has been introduced into every house of Congress since 1923.
The ERA is a simple amendment that only consists of three sections:
- Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
- Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
- Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
The ERA was originally introduced in 1923 as the “Lucretia Mott Amendment”, but it wasn’t until 1972 that it passed through Congress. It fell 3 states short of the 38 needed by the 1982 deadline, which needed to be reached for ratification. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia have all yet to ratify the ERA.
For 86 years the ERA has existed in limbo, almost speaking as a metaphor for how much the United States lags behind other countries in closing the gender gap. However, support is not universal. Many argue the necessity of the ERA and strong opposition to the amendment exists. Concerns about serving in the military as well as Social Security benefits for widows and divorce settlements, have been cited as reasons for opposing the amendment.
it’s truly apparent that until leaders in the United States truly recognize the importance of guaranteeing women the same rights as men in the constitution no true equality can ever be achieved in business, sports, politics, and everyday life in the United States.
The original author of the ERA, Alice Paul, once said, “I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.”
