Last week, in honor of Women’s History Month, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to get rid of the deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
It’s a good thing American women weren’t waiting around for this legislation.
That’s not to say the move isn’t appreciated. The idea that equal rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex ought to be set in stone, and what better way to ensure that principle is upheld than to enshrine it in the Constitution?
There have been objections to the Equal Rights Amendment since it was filed in 1972, primarily by those who object to equality on the basis of gender — and, no, that isn’t just a throwback to days when women needed their husband’s permission to open a line of credit. In addition to inequities that have lingered since the first basket of laundry was conveniently ignored, there are biological differences that will always create division. And there has long been the expectation that those referred to as the fairer sex should be put on a pedestal and that equality would take away women’s existing rights.
But as many women (and men) can tell you, whenever someone gives you something, they can take it away. Embedding equality within the Constitution means every American child is born with rights that can’t be stripped.
Not that we’ve really been hurting for that amendment since it failed to be ratified in 1982. I turned 13 that year — the year Ozzy Osbourne peed on the Alamo Cenotaph — and I remember the move being met with eye rolls and sighs of good riddance. America was run by important men, most of whom looked like Ronald Reagan (Or Bill Clements. Or Charlie Rich.) Women were making their mark here and there, but those in the big chairs were mostly men. Nobody came out and said women weren’t on the same footing; they just asked women what they could bring to the potluck.
But a couple of weeks ago, my 13-year-old daughter attended the virtual Girls’ Empowerment Summit hosted by the city of San Antonio. She heard a presentation on breaking glass ceilings by a poet laureate, a marketing executive for a retail powerhouse and a district court judge, all local women of color. The summit’s breakout sessions gave teenagers tips on how to build their brand, how to safely break through the noise on social media and how to create safe relationships. While on the national stage, Sharon Osbourne was getting the side-eye from CBS for insensitive remarks, it was refreshing to see a local partnership aim to put girls on the path to success through those who have found the path already. It’s the kind of civic engagement San Antonio needs to continue, for young women and men.
Including both men and women in the effort to level the playing field for all Americans is important, because we all stand to gain when we’re all treated as equals. The idea that there are only a few pieces of the pie is outdated; redistribution of resources isn’t that simple. American families can evolve with the times, as women have done without the benefit of the ERA.
Working women still carry out the lion’s share of the housework; according to the Pew Research Center, married American mothers spend almost twice as much time on housework and child care as their husbands. And last year’s Women in the Workplace report from LeanIn.org found the COVID-19 pandemic had hit women particularly hard, causing 1 in 4 women to leave the workplace or downshift their careers. These numbers don’t just affect women, they affect the households for which those women manage finances, wrangle soccer schedules and make holidays happen.
The ERA is making a comeback, and this time it’s doing so in a different world. It’s time to depoliticize equality and do the right thing.
mariaanglinwrites@gmail.com
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March 21, 2021 at 04:04PM
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Anglin: Do the right thing for women and men: Depoliticize ERA - San Antonio Express-News
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