The Equal Rights Amendment is one that is near and dear to my heart. I have been hearing about it…and living it…for over 4 decades. The Equal Rights Amendment is one that would make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on gender. While we have made great strides in the name of equality in our country, discrimination against women still exists. Amendment of this part of the Constitution would ensure that women would no longer suffer discrimination in employment, insurance, health care, education, the criminal justice system, social security and pensions, etc.(n.d. ; http://www.now.org/issues/economic/cea/who.html)
Supporters have argued for decades that the role of women in the U.S> has changed over time, and that women today are working in professions that were “male only” years ago. The theory and mantra of “equal pay for equal work” pretty much sums it up. ERA has become more than an amendment proposal; it has become a movement with millions of supporters. From the outside, you would think I’d support the ERA. I feel that if two individuals have equal training, education, experience, etc…they need to be compensated equally as well. But that isn’t all the ERA would do. There are many other long range rights that we DO have as women that would be affected as well. The ERA supporters (activists is a better word) are not always forthcoming about this, but those opposing the ERA
There are still those who feel the Equal Rights Amendment would be a bad idea. While the first reaction here might be to assume these were the chauvinists of the world that is not always the case. Many of those who most vocally oppose this amendment are strong, independent women. This is because the ERA would actually remove many rights that women already enjoy. For example, a widow would not be entitled to collect after the death of her husband. Nor could a mother and ex-wife receive alimony. It would also give federal courts and the federal government enormous new powers to reinterpret