Equal Rights Amendment Ratification

The Ratification of The Equal rights Amendment Throughout American history men oppressed women mentally, physically, and politically. By 1920, women got the right to vote under the 19th amendment. After women gained suffrage, Alice Paul an American suffragist, wrote the Equal Rights Amendment. Ultimately, the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have boosted gender equality, was not ratified because of the conservatives and the male domination of the State Legislature. The original seven-year time limit was extended by Congress to June 30, 1982, but at that deadline, the Equal Rights Amendment had been ratified by only 35 states, three states short of the 38 required to put it into the Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment has been introduced
The speaker for the US, Madeleine K. Albright, announced that the Clinton administration is determined to tear down the barriers to the equal participation of women that take place in this country (Lowenthal 23). She introduced a seven-point plan of commitments that the United States government plans to take. Even though the ERA was denied in the 1970’s, new administrations are trying to invent ideas that will gain equal rights for women in society.
Opposition to the ERA in the 1970s was similar in some ways to opposition in the 1920s. Conservative politicians voiced strong opposites to the amendment. Phyllis Schlafly, one of the biggest opponents of the ERA, founded STOP ERA, a group that worked to destroy the amendment. Schlafly argued that the amendment would make women take on roles that are usually reserved for the men and that equal rights. The ERA was also opposed by many women who feared the loss of alimony and of exemption of military service (Froc
Even though women wanted equality in society, they did not want to be included in the military. One of the worst things was that the ERA would force young women into battle. Children carried signs in front of Congress with the slogan "Please Don't Send My Mommy to War,” (Lynn 34). Many felt that if a woman went into to war, they were considered to be women who want to be men anomalous persons who rejected the kind of life that nature has given them. In the January 1983 issue of Ms. magazine, Gloria Steinem argued that the ERA failed because there were too many people, both men and women, and most of the majority expressing support in the polls remained contently expectant instead of becoming politically determined.
Other opposition to the ERA included how the Amendment was to be explained. The feeling was that giving the Supreme Court and federal agencies the power to spell out the meaning of equal rights would be risky. Decisions made on such a high level would be too far to remove from the ideas of the people. Opponents had a feeling that equal rights should be dealt with on a local or state level where legislators can be voted out of position if the people do not like some of the decisions