Reasons to ratify the ERA
The Zonta Club of Concord is working to correct a widespread misunderstanding about the Equal Rights Amendment. Many people believe women already have equal rights under the U.S. Constitution — but that is still not true.
The ERA was introduced in 1923 by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman, stating that equality of rights shall not be denied on account of sex. Congress passed the amendment in 1972, but added a ratification deadline. By that deadline, the ERA fell three states short of the required 38. Although additional states have since ratified it, their actions came after the imposed time limit, leaving the amendment legally unresolved.
This time limit loophole means that, even today, women’s rights are not fully protected. Laws such as Title IX and the Equal Pay Act help prevent sex discrimination, but they are statutes — not constitutional guarantees — and can be weakened or repealed without the permanence the Constitution provides.
In short, women’s equality has advanced through individual laws and court rulings rather than through a lasting constitutional safeguard. Without the ERA, future rollbacks of women’s rights remain possible.
Zonta clubs across the country, including the Zonta Club of Concord, are asking citizens to join us by visiting Sign4ERA.org and adding their signatures.
More than a century after its introduction, it is time for Congress to reintroduce the ERA and finally enshrine it in the Constitution. We can be the generation that makes history.