Senators Kennedy & Boxer, Reps. Maloney & Nadler Begin New Push for Women’s Equality Amendment
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Ellie Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, announced the reintroduction of the Women’s Equality Amendment (H.J.Res. 40). The Senators and Members of Congress were joined by leading women’s rights groups at a press conference this afternoon and expressed their commitment to making sure that women finally achieve official equality in America.
The Members also announced plans for hearings on the ERA in the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, chaired by Rep. Nadler.
“A bolder effort is clearly needed to finally live up to our commitment of full equality,” said Senator Kennedy. “The Equal Rights Amendment alone cannot remedy all discrimination, but it will clearly strengthen the ongoing efforts of women across the country to obtain equal treatment.”
Senator Boxer said, “It is time to ensure that the promises enshrined in our Constitution – justice, fairness, equality – are made real in the lives of every woman in America.”
“Women’s equality has for too long been a dream deferred,” said Rep. Maloney. “Women are under-represented in government and business, earn less than men, and are nearly twice as poor in old age. It is time to stop stalling and finish what we started 84 years ago. We are tired of excuses: women and girls in the United States deserve every opportunity that men have always had. Let's make this the year we ratify the ERA.”
“A constitutional amendment is necessary to ensure that the status of women is not subject to changes in politics, but is a protected right of basic equality,” said Rep. Nadler. “The ERA would proclaim gender equality as a fundamental principle for our laws, and it is long overdue."
“In an age when we have women running the House of Representatives, anchoring network newscasts and making strong bids for the White House in 2008, some may ask ‘why do we need the Equal Rights Amendment?’ I would say to those asking that question – we need it now more than ever,” said Rep. Dingell. “While it is true that women have moved into positions of power and prominence, too many others do not achieve equal pay with male counterparts for doing the same job – and it is not because of their ability. We must put an end to this inequity now. I want to thank my good friend, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who has led the charge on trying to pass this important legislation.”
"We are here today to confront the issue of equal pay for equal work head on, and to ensure that the American public is aware of the inequalities that remain in our society," Rep. Woolsey said. "With our first woman speaker, and with the highest ever number of women currently serving in Congress, it is time to make history by guaranteeing women equal rights in our nation's most treasured document, our Constitution."
An amendment to guarantee equal rights to women has still never been ratified and added to the U.S. Constitution, even though it was first introduced in 1923. The ERA passed Congress in 1972 but lapsed in 1982 when it fell three states short of ratification. This year, there are more than 193 original cosponsors of the ERA.
The ERA is intended to ensure equality for women and men in all areas of society. During the last 30 years, women have made extraordinary strides toward achieving equality-- but without the ERA, women have often been denied the ability to seek justice when they have experienced discrimination. Today, state and federal laws and policies can still perpetuate gender classifications that keep women from achieving their full potential.
Background
03/15/05 - The Equal Rights Amendment Is Reintroduced
03/12/03 - 80 Years is Long Enough!
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