information about the ERA

1. Equal Rights
Amendment

2. The Equal Rights Amendment
 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.

3.  This amendment had been proposed at every new session of Congress
since 1923, but had never reached the House or Senate floor
 The National Organization for Women (NOW) made it their priority in the
1960s and 1970s to get this amendment passed

4. Goals for NOW
 Equal pay for equal work
 Access to jobs traditionally held by men
 Access to affordable child care
 Better access to a college education
(In the 1960s and 1970s the college acceptance rate for women
was significantly lower than that of men)

5. The ERA passes both Houses and is
signed by Nixon in 1972
 38 states needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in order for it to
become law
 Ratification had to be completed by 1979
 22 states ratified the first year
 By 1977 , 35 states had ratified the ERA
 It was given an extension until 1982 to get the remaining 3 states to ratify

6. Opposition to the ERA
 It was claimed by Anti-ERA groups led by Phyllis Schlafly that the following
would be a result if the ERA were passed
1) women would no longer be entitled to child support of alimony if
divorced
2) women would be eligible for draft by the military
3) privacy rules would disappear (no separate mens and womens
rest rooms
4) homosexual marriage would become legal
5) businesses claimed it would cost them more money

7. Those fears kept the ERA from being
passed
 It has still been re-introduced at every congressional session since its 1982
defeat

9. Numerous court cases have helped to
promote equality
1964 – Title VII of the Civil Rights Act passes, prohibiting sex discrimination in
employment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is created
1972 – Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibits sex discrimination in all
aspects of education programs that receive federal support
1984 – U.S. Supreme Court bans sex discrimination in membership for onetime
all-male groups like the Jaycees, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs.
2013 – The ban against women in military combat positions is removed,
overturning a 1994 Pentagon decision restricting women from combat roles.

10. Works Cited:
 Bergeron, Ryan. "'The Seventies': Feminism Makes Waves." CNN. Cable
News Network, 17 Aug. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.
 "History." ERA: History. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.
 Milligan, Susan. "Stepping Through History." U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News & World Report, 20 Jan. 2017. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.
 Writer, Christian Seabaugh. "Vintage Ads: 1964-1967 Ford Mustang - Pick
Your Favorite." Motor Trend. Motor Trend, 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 05 Apr.
2017.