Chapter 5: Equal Rights for Women: Not Yet

Women in Rwanda, Iceland, Vietnam, and 131 other nations have constitutionally guaranteed equal rights, but American women do not. Polls show that a majority of Americans believe that the United States Constitution already guarantees equal rights (Przybyla, 2017). Adoption of an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution is more than symbolic. “It has implications for how gender-based violence and workplace sex discrimination are addressed and litigated, for corporate standards involving accommodations for pregnant women, and for guaranteed access to prenatal care and contraception.” Furthermore, “it could force a narrowing of the gender-based imbalance in top leadership roles” (Spier, 2017).