In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed in the Senate. The legislation was then taken to the states for approval. The National Woman’s Political Party proposed the amendment as they advocated for legal equality of both sexes. The amendment aimed at prohibiting the discrimination based on sex. In 1960s, the issue of feminism reemerged. The U.S. Representative Bella Abzug of New York and feminists Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem took it to the senate, and it successfully received support from more than two-thirds of the votes casted. By 1972, the amendment was forwarded to the states by the U.S Senate. Hawaii approved the amendment, and other 30 states followed. However, conservatives agreed not to support the amendment as three-fourths of the states declined to approve it. The denunciation of the amendment meant the U.S constitution did not uphold sexual equality and women continued to be discriminated against. Nonetheless, the late 20th century was marked by ratification of legislation focusing on the protection of the legal rights of women. Currently, ERA states, “ Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex."
During the ERA, mistakes and miscalculation prompted to the failure of the Amendment. The proponents of the Amendment focused on building a consensus in the Congress without considering the opinions of the states. If the proponents had built the consensus in most of the states, the approval of the amendment could have come into reality. There was need to launch a campaign targeting the creation of awareness among the states (Berry). The ERA proponents failed to plan diligently, and this is why their efforts proved futile as the states did not ratify it.
Moreover, Mansbridge provided extensive discussions on why the Amendment failed to sail through. He attributes to the misunderstandings of the legislators as the groups struggled to work together in harmony. The resentment of most of the state legislators did not allow them to ratify the amendment. During 1970s, state legislators did not trust the U.S Supreme Court. They believed that the court was applying “superficially innocuous principles to achieve substantive results opposed by conservatives and other citizens.” The state legislators were afraid that the Supreme Court could only be focused on its interests without thinking about the larger population. Therefore, they decided to disapprove the Equal Rights Amendment in unison (Berry).
Those who opposed Equal Rights Amendment beliefs were deeply rooted in traditional gender roles. They believed that men were the only expected to fight in wars. They opposed ERA since it the equality of rights meant that the roles of men would be interfered with as women could start participating into civil wars. By defending the traditional gender roles, the strategy worked as the amendment failed to sail through. For instance, the followers of Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative Republican activist from Illinois thoroughly campaigned against the ERA. They carried slogans stating, "Preserve us from a congressional jam; Vote against the ERA sham." The campaigners convinced the married women that the Amendment would interfere with protective laws like alimony and right to remain with children after divorce. The traditional women strongly opposed the Equal Rights Amendment since they believed that it could only benefit the young career woman. They felt insecure that ERA could pose threats to the security of housewives who lacked skills. In the end, the campaigners achieved their wish as most people perceived ERA as a failure in the society linking it with non-beneficial claims.
Schlafly was the most conspicuous opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment. She reasoned with the people on why the traditional gender roles were important. Her strategy worked perfectly as she trapped all feminists. Before launching her campaigns in 1972, ERA was so much popular, and it had even been approved with 30 states. Surprisingly, he campaigns moved the crowd and the popularity of those opposing the amendment immensely increased. The support of the amendment decreased by 50%. The public opinion influenced the state legislators to reject ERA. Analysts and experts agree that ERA could have been approved by 1975, were it not for the opposition campaigns from Phyllis Schlafly.
The proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment placed blame towards insurance industries and conservative organizations. They claimed that self-interest led to the provision of funds to campaign against ERA. Proponents not only perceive Phyllis Schafly as the only individual who led to opposition but also pinpoints the participation of other groups such as the National Council of Catholic Women. Religious conservatives are another group of individuals who opposed the approval of ERA. According to their opinions, the amendment could legalize abortion and allow homosexuality; therefore, they strongly condemned it. The Equal Rights Amendment failed because of strong opposition from various parties. ERA proponents lacked a clear strategy, and this played a major role towards its failure. If they had laid down strategy to convince the states on time, the ratification would have materialized.
Work cited
Berry, Mary F. "Why ERA Failed: POLITICS, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, AND THE AMENDING PROCESS OF THE CONSTITUTION." Los Angeles Times 9 Nov. 1985: n. pag. Print.
Packer, Elder B. "The Equal Rights Amendment Ensign Mar. 1977 ensign." The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints. N.p., Mar. 1977. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
Young, Neil J. "59:3Neil J, Young - "The ERA Is a Moral Issue": The Mormon Church, LDS Women, and the Defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment." American Quarterly 59.3 (2007): 623-644. Print.
