Equal Rights Amendment Research Paper

A baby is delivered, it’s a girl! She grows into a healthy, joyous young lady. Little did the this young lady know that she has a monumental upcoming obstacle. The notion of double standards and the small weight a woman’s right upholds in society, crushes her own view of self worth. Effort she exerted to accomplish great achievements are to be overshadowed by a different gender or race, her reward miniscule, yet the criticism is massive. Now as woman she regains her self esteem and prepares for the battle to come, gender equality. A justice that must be served both socially and constitutionally; therefore women and men must keep fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment proposed since 1923 to ensure a just society in the United States.
According
to an article in the Institute for Women’s Policy Research official website, women make up “almost half of the workforce [and] are the equal, if not main, breadwinner in four out of ten families”. For instance, a single mother could be struggling to survive until the next paycheck, and slaves herself over a pot of beans, the only source of nutrition left in the pantry. Her humble children wrap their arms around their growling stomachs. They love their mother, but cannot fathom why they were born if it was to live on dirt floors, with torn shoes, and donated clothes. The caring mother labors feverishly from the awakened sun to the mournful moon. She is handed the long awaited check. The shine in her eyes diminishes since the weight of the paper seems lighter and lighter every month. She brings up her complaint to her young co-worker. His eyes widen as he listens; he, a novice, earns a considerable amount more than her.She returns, her children’s eyes fill up with glimmering tears they try to hold back, once their excitement of treats is crushed by reality and the mother’s humiliated eyes. Sadly unjust wages are real, statistics are stated on a Huffington Post blog clearly demonstrating the wage gap of women “making 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man, with African American women and Latinas making even less, 64 cents and 53 cents respectively”.
The injustice does not just end in discrimination against women in the job field. A blog written by The Learning Center states that with the ratification of the ERA, the amendment will invalidate “laws that favor women in child-custody and alimony cases, laws that deny compensation to pregnant women still able to work and differing standards for boys and girls in public school programs”. These will relieve imposed standards and will abolish inaccurate, illogical reasonings. For instance, a father decides to end a destructive marriage, but his wife is painted a rancorous red channels that anger onto their children. Confident is what he becomes in gaining child custody and saving his children from anymore agonizing blurred moments from their recently deranged mother. Court is long, tense, and strenuous. When the case is finalized his face drained from any emotion except for disbelief. His heart an abyss of despair as he sees his children mournfully climb in a car, the mother’s car. Unjust decisions occur often, the ignorance must come to an end. The ERA will eradicate any law that favors a specific race or gender and will stand by concrete evidence and thorough examination.
It is quite unbelievable that women have been fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment for seven years short of a millennium.
Supporting this is the official website for the ERA, it recaps the history about “the ERA, affirming the equal application of the Constitution to all persons regardless of their sex, was written in 1923 by Alice Paul”. The amendment passed through 35 states’ approval and missed its required minimum of 38 for ratification in 1982. Therefore the rights of women have been left vulnerable and unprotected since the start of the nation. The amendment since 1982 bounces from desk to desk and suffers from the negligence of the government. What was once pure rage from women is now utter disappointment in their country. If it were truly a democracy would it ignore the pleas and demand of rights from half the nation’s population? Although the past still plagues the United States, there is still hope for a better future for generations to come. Reinforcing the ERA and calling for another state vote could certainly mean one step forward to equality since according to an article in UShistory.org “public opinion polls showed strong favorable support” back in 1972. Now with a more open minded country the ERA is likely to
pass.
In conclusion the path for equality will be complex and it will take time. Thus it is only logical for the battle to begin sooner rather than later. Men, women, boys, and girls from all races will benefit from the benevolent amendment. The effort exerted from Alice Paul should not be wasted. The Equal Rights Amendment has been neglected and oppressed for far too long.