*** Without an ERA, even the modest gains that have been made over the past 100 years to protect women’s rights are being eroded and rescinded. Protective laws at the state level, such as the Wisconsin Equal Pay Enforcement Act that was intended to address the persistent wage disparity between women and men in the same job, are being revoked. Even though abortion is a constitutionally protected right, in 2011 there were 92 provisions included in state laws that restrict access to abortion services.
The Violence Against Women Act of 2009 has not been reauthorized. Additionally, even well-meaning federal laws have failed to achieve equality. The Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963 at a time when women earned 59% of what men were paid. Women now earn 77 cents for every dollar men are paid for the same work. That figure is 69 cents for Black women and 52 cents for Latinas. Contrary to popular belief, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 does not ensure equal pay for equal work. It only allows for a longer period of time during which suits against pay discrimination may be brought.
States that have ratified the ERA are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
States that have not yet ratified the ERA are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.
States that have an equal rights amendment in their state constitutions are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
States that did not ratify the national ERA but have an equal rights amendment in their state constitutions: Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Utah and Virginia
States that have laws allowing same-sex marriage: Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington. So do the District of Columbia and two Native American tribes.
States that do not have an equal rights amendment in their state constitution but have laws that allow same-sex marriage: Maine, New York and Vermont.
*Karline Tierney, now living in Baltimore, was an around the clock ERA activist in Louisiana and nationally for many years. karline.tierney@gmail.com
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