The Factors Behind the Failure of the Equal Rights Amendment
This essay is about the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which sought to ensure gender equality under the law. Proposed in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972, the ERA ultimately fell short of ratification by the required number of states. Key factors in its failure included strong opposition from conservative activists like Phyllis Schlafly, who argued it would disrupt traditional gender roles and harm women. Societal fears, changing political dynamics, and strategic missteps by ERA supporters also played crucial roles. The essay underscores the ongoing ideological conflict between progressive gender equality goals and conservative efforts to preserve traditional social structures.
How it works
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was like a shining beacon of hope when it first popped up in 1923 and then got a green light from Congress in 1972. Its goal? To guarantee equal rights for everyone, no matter their sex. But despite the early enthusiasm, it never quite made it across the finish line. So, what went wrong? The saga of the ERA is a tale of political drama, social backlash, and strategic missteps that kept it from becoming a reality.
At the start, the ERA was cruising along with strong bipartisan backing.
Both Republicans and Democrats saw the value in stamping gender equality into the Constitution. But as the amendment moved forward, it hit a bump in the road with growing opposition. Enter Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative activist who became the face of the anti-ERA movement. She argued that the ERA would upend traditional gender roles and end up hurting women more than helping them. Schlafly’s campaign, rallying conservative women from coast to coast, played a big part in slowing the amendment's momentum.
Schlafly's arguments stirred up wider societal anxieties about changing gender norms. She claimed the ERA would lead to women being drafted into the military, losing alimony, and wiping out single-gender institutions, not to mention destroying the nuclear family. These fears struck a chord with many Americans who were already uneasy about the rapid social shifts of the '60s and '70s. Consequently, some states that had initially backed the ERA started to retract their support, while others never jumped on board.
The political scene of the '70s and '80s didn’t help either. The ERA needed 38 states to give it the thumbs-up, but it fell three states short by the 1982 deadline. With the rise of the religious right, conservative politicians grew more opposed to the amendment, and the shifting political tides made it tougher to snag those final ratifications. Legislators were wary of upsetting their conservative voters, which didn’t help the ERA’s cause.
Supporters of the ERA also made some strategic blunders. They thought the fairness of the amendment was a no-brainer and underestimated how effective the opposition’s arguments would be. This overconfidence meant they didn’t put up a strong enough counter-campaign to counteract the fears stoked by opponents. Plus, the ERA campaign didn’t do enough to connect with grassroots movements or build a broad coalition, which limited its reach and impact.
The failure of the ERA mirrors the broader battle for women’s rights and gender equality in the U.S. Although the ERA was meant to be a straightforward legal fix for gender discrimination, it turned into a battlefield for larger ideological conflicts about women’s roles in society. The opposition’s success in painting the ERA as a threat to traditional values shows just how deep resistance to gender equality runs.
Lately, there's been a fresh wave of interest in the ERA, with some states ratifying it in symbolic gestures and calls to ditch the deadline for ratification. However, the same ideological rifts that tripped up the ERA before are still very much alive. The ongoing debate highlights the clash between progressive goals for gender equality and conservative efforts to preserve traditional social structures.
The ERA’s failure wasn’t just due to one thing but a mix of political pushback, societal fears, and strategic blunders. It underscores how tough it can be to drive social change in a nation that’s often politically and culturally divided. Even though the ERA didn’t make it, the fight for gender equality marches on, reflecting the ongoing importance of the issues it sought to tackle.
The Factors Behind the Failure of the Equal Rights Amendment. (2024, Jul 21). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-factors-behind-the-failure-of-the-equal-rights-amendment/
