Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed in 1923, would guarantee equality of rights under the law for all regardless of sex. The ERA passed Congress in 1972 with the needed two-thirds vote of the U.S. House and Senate. The required three-fourths of the state legislatures then ratified the ERA when Virginia became the 38th state to ratify in 2020. It still has not been added to the Constitution.

New York Voters Overwhelmingly Pass ERA Ballot Measure ‘to Protect Abortion and Reproductive Freedom’

A New York ballot measure to create constitutional protections for abortion and create explicit protections for people who experience discrimination, passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday.

Proposal 1, the first U.S. constitutional amendment of its kind, will establish comprehensive safeguards against discrimination and explicitly protect reproductive rights, including the right to abortion for state residents. According to New Yorkers for Equal Rights (NYER), a broad coalition of more than 300 diverse groups that support the initiative, the effort is different from other equal rights amendments because it includes protections for reproductive rights.

NYER campaign director Sasha N. Ahuja spoke to Ms. two months before Election Day: “We have to set the path for other states to pursue equality and provide the strongest possible protections in their constitutions.”

This Election, It’s Women’s Choice

After the Supreme Court’s unprecedented 2022 decision to revoke a constitutional right, abortion changed the course of elections for two years running. As the nation approaches the first presidential election of the post-Roe era, Democrats—who are fielding a woman presidential candidate who champions abortion rights—are banking on the issue to bolster them again.

Many public polls predict it won’t. But are these polls right? Not so much, say numerous polling experts.

(This article originally appears in the Fall 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)

The Feminist Fight for Gender Equity: Lisa Ann Walter and Advocates Renew Push for ERA Ahead of 2024 Elections

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, the battle to restore abortion rights has been front and center. Less visible are efforts to enshrine women’s equality into the Constitution—the continuation of a campaign that conservatives thought they killed more than 40 years ago. Not true.

Champions of the ERA have been working tirelessly to get Congress to publish the 101-year-old measure that would ban gender-based discrimination. Although women have made considerable strides over the last century, a constitutional right is the only guarantee they will make further gains and keep them in perpetuity.

Whatever Happened to CEDAW?

It’s been 45 years since the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, often described as an international bill of rights for women. Yet some younger feminists haven’t even heard of it.

The vast majority of the world’s nations—96 percent—have ratified CEDAW. The U.S. is not a signatory because it has never made it to the Senate floor for a ratifying vote—making it only industrialized democracy in the world that has yet to ratify it.

(This article originally appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)

Democratic Party Platform Centers Women’s Rights

At the DNC in Chicago, party leaders approved the 2024 Democratic party platform Monday evening, promising to protect and strengthen women’s rights. The 91-page document is a stark contrast to the Republican platform, which promises to continue the dismantling of women’s rights started during Donald Trump’s first term in office.

Here are some of the parts of the Democratic party platform focused on women’s rights—including restoring abortion access, protecting contraception access, and making the Equal Rights Amendment the law of the land.

LIVE UPDATES From Ms. @ DNC: Harris Makes a Compelling Case for Her Presidency and for America’s Future

For those seeking an inside look at the intersection of politics and feminism, Ms. writers and editors are on the ground in Chicago, delivering real-time insights and reflections from the heart of the DNC, capturing the narratives and voices shaping the future of U.S. politics.

Explore: a roundtable with Democratic women governors and Julia Louis-Dreyfus; freedom-themed evening programing includes appearances from reproductive rights leaders, Oprah, Jan. 6 survivors and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz; what’s driving women voters; and more.

Gen Z’s Fight to Secure the ERA in the Constitution

Women are still fighting for the ERA and constitutional gender equality. It’s astonishing that in 2024, women are not legally considered equal to their male counterparts.

For Gen Z, a generation that prides itself on embracing diversity, inclusion and equality, this discrimination cannot stand. We are in a unique position to support gender equality, demanding that it becomes a constitutional right.

Because We’re ‘Still Working 9 to 5’: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton Win ERA Coalition’s Trailblazer Award at Hollywood Premiere

The ERA Coalition Forward awarded Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton with the Women’s Equality Trailblazer Award for their fearless work to bring the film Still Working 9 to 5 to fruition, as well as Fonda and Tomlin’s steadfast commitment to getting the ERA enshrined in the Constitution. 

As Tomlin told Ms., “The ERA is fundamental to the culture. We’re one of the few industrialized countries that does not have some kind of law… [for] equality between the sexes,” and Fonda leaned in with a message for Congress: “Come on! It’s time! It’s been 100 years!” Then added, “It’s been ratified, so get it published already!”