The ERA & gender discrimination

Remember when Constitution passed legislation to give women full equality to men in this country? No? Well that's because it has not happened yet. The ERA, or Equal Rights Amendment, is made up of 3 parts--
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.

The ERA was written in 1923 by Alice Paul who founded the National Woman’s Party. The ERA would guarantee equal rights for all women in society and send a clear message that the United States has a zero tolerance policy for sex discrimination. Congress would have the power to punish institutions that discriminate on the basis of sex. The Equal Rights Amendment was introduced into every session of congress until it passed in 1972 where it went to the states. 35 out of the 38 required, ratified the amendment and the proposed amendment expired in 1982.

So why isn't it a law? Opponents of the ERA claim that it will remove laws that are in affect to protect women. Yet these same opponents keep women unequal in society by denying the ERA. Society today still believes in the inherent differences between sexes which are keeping women unequal before the law, and this amendment cannot pass with this ideology in mind.

The ERA has been reintroduced into every session of Congress since 1982 and still has not been made into law because 15 states have not ratified it (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia).

If you're interested in the ERA, here is a list of supporting organizations that can help you take action: http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/supportorgs.htm

info cited from equalrightsamendment.org