ERA Essay

Jack Bulger--Red Group

A new version of the ERA should be passed, along with a plan for affirmative action because
women are entitled to equal treatment to men and to fuller participation in society.
The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) is a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would
make it illegal to deny rights to women on the basis of their sex. It would include women in the military
draft, integrate women into all education programs, and affirm the right of abortion in the Constitution
("A Short History of E.R.A.", eagleforum.org). Feminists and womens rights activists have wanted the
ERA passed because it would have required that women be paid the same amount for the same amount of
work as men, and that women and men have equal employment opportunities.
Opponents of the ERA, such as Phyllis Schlafly, find the amendment unappealing, because they
are not convinced that it will change anything or give any new rights to women. According to a report
written by the Eagle Forum, the ERA would take away legal rights that women possessed - not confer
any new rights on women. ("A Short History of E.R.A.", eagleforum.org). The report goes on to say that
the ERA would take away women's traditional exemption from military conscription and also from
military combat duty, and that it would force all schools and colleges, and all the programs and athletics
they conduct, to be fully coeducational and sex-integrated. ("A Short History of E.R.A.",
eagleforum.org). It is true that some women would feel worse off if they were no longer exempt from the
draft and military combat and could not have women-only schools and athletic programs. However, if all
women are to be truly equal to men, these preferences of a subset of women would have to be sacrificed .
This loss for some women is more than counterbalanced by the advantages to all women of coeducational
schools and programs that provide both sexes equal education that will help them to succeed and have
equal opportunities in all walks of life.
Gender equality has come a long way over the years, but the situation is not yet ideal. There is
still much to change so that women might have the same opportunities as men, to have the same chance to
succeed. A gap exists between the salaries men and women are paid for the same type of work. According

to the NWLC(Womens National Law Center), As a result of the wage gap, 47% of women working fulltime, full-year earn less than $25,000 per year, compared to only 29% of working men. The NWLC also
reports that Women working full-time, full-year still earn, on average, only 73 cents for every dollar
earned by men. If this wage gap continues to keep women underpaid, it will make it much more difficult
for them to be seen as equal to men in all aspects of society.
One way to remedy gender inequality is to use affirmative action to increase the number of
women in jobs and education. Among other things, affirmative action requires businesses wanting to hire
new employees to go out of their way to find and hire women who are qualified for the positions in need.
This practice allows women to increase their experience in certain fields of work or education.
If women are to become fully-integrated members of society with rights equal to the rights of
men, a new version of the ERA must be passed. A persons value does not depend on their sex. Women
deserve the same opportunities men enjoy to experience and contribute to our way of life..

Works Cited
Affirmative Action and What It Means for Women. NWLC.org. NWLC, n.d. Web. 14
May 2016. <http://nwlc.org/resources/affirmative-action-and-what-it-means-women>.

A Short History of E.R.A. Eagle Forum. Eagle Forum, n.d. Web. 14 May 2016.
<http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/1986/sept86/psrsep86.html>.