The Equal Rights Amendment Essay

What could be more important than the equality of rights for all American citizens? Women have tried without success for 80 years to be acknowledged as equals in our Constitution through an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Currently there is nothing in the United States Constitution that guarantees a woman the same rights as a man. The only equality women have with men is the right to vote. In order to protect women’s rights on the same level as men, I am in favor of an Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution today.
There have been many determined women and organizations such as the NASWA and the NWP that have fought long and hard to gain the right to vote. Although it’s been a long battle to …show more content…

A woman registered nurse will earn more than 5% less than a male nurse (2). Another survey in 2008 found that male elementary school teachers earned 14% more than a female elementary school teacher (2). Issues of pay equity are not addressed by any federal laws. An Equal Rights Amendment could remedy these and many other concerns of women in the workforce.
The interference of a woman's right to control her own body and other forms of discrimination intrude on women's reproductive freedom. Despite the provision of Title VII, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, pregnant women still face discrimination in the work place. Women on maternity leave, like employees who take sick leave, are not necessarily guaranteed job protection and reinstatement when they return to work. Their jobs can be eliminated and the burden of proof requires evidence that the employer intended to discriminate (3).
A key event happened in 1973 when the Supreme Court handed down the historic Roe v. Wade decision, distinguishing among the three trimesters of pregnancy, and legalized abortion in the first 3 months a matter of personal autonomy (4). Since that case a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy has been under continuous attack.
Sex discrimination contributes significantly to the economic difficulty of older women. A lot of our nation’s elderly poor are women. Older women have just over half the income of older men, and women of color have significantly