So You Thought Women Had Equal Rights In The U.S.

So You Thought Women Had Equal Rights In The U.S. – Guess Again

Posted May 15, 2017

In honor of Mother’s Day, Pribanic & Pribanic would like to extend a warm THANK YOU to all the grandmothers, mothers, caregivers, and mothers-to-be everywhere. Where would we be without YOU?

Women make up just over half of our population. And though our mothers, sisters and daughters have more rights today than they have before, the truth is that women still do not have equal constitutional rights in the United States.

In 1923, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution written by suffragist Alice Paul and lawyer Crystal Eastman was introduced in Congress for the first time. Since then, the Equal Rights Amendment, which guarantees equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender, has been on a roller-coaster of support and opposition.

By 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) had passed both houses of Congress and was sent to the states for ratification. By 1977, the ERA received 35 of the 38 state ratifications it needed to become law.

But as of today, the amendment still has not passed.

Over the past few years, the push for ratification of the ERA has been reinvigorated. In March, Nevada became the 36th state to ratify the ERA – the first state to do so in more than 40 years.

That leaves only two more states needed. The 14 states that still have not ratified are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.

If you’d like to learn more about the ERA and what you can do to help secure equal rights for women, there are many organizations ready to help, including groups like the ERA Coalition and ERA Education Project.

At Pribanic & Pribanic, we have fought on behalf of women over the years in a variety of worker’s compensation, personal injury, medical malpractice, negligence and other legal cases.

If you or a woman in your life has been treated unfairly and needs legal advice, feel free to call us for a free consultation anytime at 1-800-392-4529.

Melissa Troutman

Melissa Troutman is a journalist, writer and vocal artist. She began full-time writing in 2010 as a newspaper reporter in her hometown of Coudersport, Pennsylvania before co-founding the investigative news nonprofit Public Herald, where she now serves as Executive Director. Melissa co-wrote, -directed and -edited the documentary Triple Divide (2013), which she also narrates with award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo. Follow her on twitter @melissat22.