The Equal Rights Amendment: A Promise Unfulfilled
"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." That's all the Equal Rights Amendment says. No mention even of women. Just 24 words. Fighting words written by Alice Paul, a driving force behind the passage, finally, in 1920 of the vote for women.
TL;DR
- The Equal Rights Amendment, consisting of 24 words, was proposed by Alice Paul in 1923.
- Congress passed the ERA in 1972, setting a ratification deadline of 1982.
- The amendment fell three states short of ratification, reaching only 35 out of the required 38.
- Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly was a prominent opponent of the ERA.
- Despite the ERA's failure, societal changes have occurred, as noted by feminist Letty Cottin Pogrebin.
- Virginia ratified the ERA in 2020, becoming the 38th state, but the ratification deadline had expired.
- Key issues such as reproductive rights, equal pay, and military service remain contested.