Three in four Americans support Equal Rights Amendment, poll shows
About three in four Americans support the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), the change to the US constitution proposed five decades ago to ban discrimination on the basis of sex, a new poll shows.
The ERA is now back before Congress, following Virginia’s ratification in January.
Nearly the same amount of Americans, 72%, incorrectly believe the constitution now guarantees men and women equal rights under the law.
“Wow, that’s amazing,” said Demetria Fraley, a 33-year-old mother of six in Raleigh, North Carolina, when told there is no such explicit constitutional guarantee. “I never knew that … I’m thinking, things are changing, but apparently they’re not.”
The ERA, which would stipulate that equal rights cannot be denied or curtailed on the basis of gender, is back in the headlines because Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it – satisfying the requirement that three-quarters of states approve it following passage by Congress in 1972.
However, legal hurdles could keep the ERA from becoming the 28th amendment. Congress initially required the states ratify it by 1977, a deadline extended to 1982.
Some women’s groups argue that deadline should not be seen as binding. While the Democratic-controlled House will probably extend the deadline again, the Republican Senate may not. Another legal obstacle is a move by five states in the 1970s to rescind their ratifications.
The ERA faces bitter opposition from conservatives who see it as endangering their stances on abortion and transgender rights.
The new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found a significant partisan gap in views of the ERA but majorities in support. Nearly nine in 10 Democrats, compared with about six in 10 Republicans, say they were in favor.
Frances Wiener, 70, said she was very involved with the ERA campaign 50 years ago.
“I still have my bracelet, one of those metal bracelets that says ‘ERA’,” said Wiener, of Brooklyn.
She believes women face less discrimination now, a view shared by about seven in 10 Americans, according to the poll. That compares with about two in 10 who think things are the same and roughly one in 10 who feel women face more discrimination today.
Wiener hopes the ERA is finally adopted.
“Sometimes, when things are really written in stone, it makes people think a little bit harder about doing certain things. It gives it more teeth,” she said.
The poll shows that nearly half of Americans, 46%, think women have a tougher time getting high-paying jobs.
Among those who disagree is Gerald Havens, of Springfield, Missouri, who called the ERA “an outdated amendment”. The 56-year-old retired postal service employee believes the women in his family – including his wife, a daughter in banking and his sister and niece – have earned the same as men in their fields.
“I think society has moved on from when it was introduced in the 1970s,” said Havens, a Republican.
About half of Americans think ratifying the ERA would have a positive impact though about four in 10 feel it wouldn’t make much of a difference and about one in 10 say it would be harmful. Nearly two-thirds think its impact on women would be positive.
About two in 10 feel it would negatively affect men.
The ERA would not on its own bar workplace discrimination. Still, the poll found that women are more likely than men to think the impact on the country – and on them personally – will be positive.
“We’d feel more equal,” said Fraley, a Democrat who said she had experienced employment discrimination in the construction field. “Some men just think that women can’t do what [we know] they can do. So if a woman goes and does their job, it’s like you’re messing with their ego.”
In terms of careers in politics, nearly four in 10 said they think women have fewer opportunities than men, while about as many say it’s a level playing field. About a quarter think women today have more political opportunities.
“I think if a lot of women and minority women got out there and voted, we could have a woman president,” said Kathleen Wolfe, 73, of York, Pennsylvania. “Who would have thought Barack Obama would be elected president?”
LaVonne Hirashima, 48 and from Albuquerque, New Mexico, a moderate Democrat, thought Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 election. Then she heard someone on TV say he would never vote for a woman – and sensed the race was over.
“Other countries have a female leader and are successful,” she said. “I don’t see why we can’t be that forward thinking, but I don’t think our country as a whole is ready for that.”