A group of women marching for their rights to be equal. photo by AJ Domagala
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment for women to be treated equally.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that was designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and more. This amendment was first introduced in 1923 and was passed through Congress in 1972.
The fight for equal rights began in 1848 when women were fighting for the right to be able to vote with the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Supporters of the ERA lobbied, marched, rallied, petitioned, picketed, went on hunger strikes, and committed acts of civil disobedience between 1972 and 1982. Alice Paul was the main leader in the fight for the ERA, and was not going to step down until she got her way. She understood the importance of constitutional protections for all citizens when she argued, “We shall not be safe until the principle of equal rights is written into the framework of our government.” Many do not believe that Paul knew how much of an impact she was making in the rights of women in this country. She was the backbone of the beginning of a huge change for women.
This amendment is not able to be put into the constitution since not all states would pass it. In total 38 states have passed the amendment, but 12 have not, so it cannot be put in the constitution. Most of the 12 states are in the South and a couple in the North East. The last state to pass the ERA was Virginia, and they passed this amendment on January 27, 2020. There are still states passing this amendment up to this year, even though this was put in place almost 100 years ago. This shows that change can be made if all 50 states decide this is the best idea for our country, which it is.
Women fighting for their rights to be equal has been going on forever, and still hasn’t ended. To this day, there are women’s marches all over the country to show that women deserve to be respected in this country. For example, my grandma, Sarah Russell, is a huge women’s activist and grew up when women were just getting the right to vote. She grew up knowing that men were always the breadwinners and women just stayed at home to cook, clean, and take care of the children. My grandma had three kids during the 1970s but knew that she was capable of a lot more in life. Russell states, “I went on to get my masters and doctorate, worked as a college professor and the communications director for a large non-profit in Colorado, and as an editor in a university, I’m still happiest in the role of helpmate.” Even though she knew that the expectations were for her to stay home and “be a woman,” she fought harder and harder every day to show that she can be a breadwinner too. Although she was working the entire time, she raised my mom and two uncles, and she was helping my grandpa build his business. Women deserve to have the same rights as men in any situation.
There are still comments that are being made against women to this day. For example, many big leaders are against women’s rights. Women are not getting the acknowledgment or rights they deserve when they are doing everything they can to keep fighting. Women have been oppressed for years and still are. We will fight together to make a change.
