Today, Explained The 100 year fight for equal rights
Jan 17, 2020
Julie Sook, a Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center and author of "We, the Women," dives into the pivotal moment as Virginia ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment. She details the century-long struggle for women’s equality in the U.S., from the influential figures of the 1970s to the ongoing challenges in Congress. Sook highlights the importance of the ERA in addressing gender-based violence and workplace discrimination, and how it's a crucial tool for amplifying women's voices in politics.
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19th Amendment and Suffragists
- The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote.
- Some suffragists immediately aimed for a broader constitutional amendment for equal rights.
Debate on ERA
- For 50 years, the Equal Rights Amendment was debated but faced resistance due to concerns about treating women differently based on motherhood and reproductive capacities.
- By the 1970s, a new vision of women in society emerged, recognizing discriminatory laws based on traditional roles.
ERA in the House
- Polly Murray leveraged progress in race equality under the 14th Amendment to advocate for sex equality.
- Martha Griffiths used a discharge petition to bring the ERA to the House floor in 1970, receiving overwhelming support.
