Elise Cauton

Green Group
Rubric:
18/20 Essay describes the intent of the Equal Rights Amendment and explains why it was never amended to the
Constitution. Essay explains why Schlafly opposed the Equal Rights Amendment using examples and at least two
quotations from the text to support inferences.
18/20 Essay establishes a well-supported position on the status of women today in comparison to 40 years ago using
evidence to support your claim. Essay determines whether or not pornography should be considered hate speech
used to degrade women as a group by using examples and quotations to support ideas.
18/20 Essay includes a position oriented thesis statement, a conclusion that restates and extends the thesis,
paragraphs centered around a single idea conceptually linked to the thesis, appropriate mechanics, varied syntax,
parenthetical citations and a works cited page. It should be no longer than 2 pages double spaced and must be
submitted to Turnitin.com

Good anaylsis, strong arguments made, fluidity of paper was not always clear as paragaph did not consistently
center around a single idea.

The Equal Rights Amendment

Because of the degradation of women through pornography, their appointed minority status and
since when have women be appointed minority status the current wage gap between men and women, the
United States should pass a new version of the Equal Rights Amendment, emphasizing the lack of
enforcement of equality. The Equal Rights Amendment was a bill written in 1923, but was brought to
public attention only in the 70s, with the advance of the feminist movement. The bill stated that the
equality of rights cannot be denied because of the account of sex and that congress shall have the
power to enforce the law (The Equal Rights Amendment).
What is this paragraph about? Phyllis Schlafly was one of the most vocal in her distaste of the
amendment. She believed that the Equal Rights Amendment created an idealization of [the] single mom
and the feminist movement is about treating women as victims and about telling women that you can't
succeed because society is unfair (Sachs). Schlafly also believed that the ERA would take away legal

rights that women currently had, like exemption from the military draft and social security benefits (Eagle
Forum). At a 1977 conference to support the ratification of the ERA, the feminist movement lost
momentum when their leaders voted for taxpayer funding of abortions and the entire gay agenda,
revealing what was thought as a hidden agenda to the states that had yet to ratify the bill, and the ERA did
not pass (Schlafly). Susan Brownmiller, an author and activist for womens rights had a different opinion.
She believed that a primary source of inequality among women was the cultural sexism designed to
boost the male ego (Brownmiller). It can be inferred that Brownmiller viewed the ERA as necessary
because since the bill promised protection of all, without discrimination towards gender, the equality of
women would be enforced in mainly the social aspects of the law.
Today, women are still treated unequally, despite the change since the fight to ratify the ERA.
Pornography is one example of the reality of sexismt today,. nature. The existence of pornography has
been considered by women to be a historic and physical repression [and] a conscious process of
intimidation by men (Brownmiller). A study shows that 83% male college students who had reported
seeing porn in the last month were more likely to commit sexual assault, given that they wouldnt get
caught (Dines). A vast majority of pornography is geared towards men, and the domineering presence that
it conveys distorts most men into thinking that it is their monetary right to gain access to the female
body, and that sex is a female service that should not be denied (Brownmiller). The wage gap is also still
prevalent, despite the fact that equal pay was a main priority when the feminist fight began. Today,
women make seventy nine cents to every dollar a man makes, and even with more women being
employed in professional work, the wage gap does not decrease (Catalyst Knowledge Center). Forty years
after the height of the feminist movement, women are still being treated unjustly socially and
economically; however, this can remedied with correct legal protection and support.
By one definition, a minority is one who is part of a smaller, underrepresented group. Although
women outnumber men in the US, they are not represented in places of power, like Congress, as equally
as they are in the population, giving women minority status (Smirnova and Cai; Hacker). From this
minority status, special privileges such as affirmative action should be given to women to erase any

prejudice that they might encounter. However, I do not believe that women should be given unique legal
protections, but rather have their rights more effectively and justly protected. Avoid first person
Prejudice has long surrounded women in their fight for equality; however, it is important to
decipher the differences between privileges given to women and their Constitutional right. Because of the
degradation of women through pornography, their appointed minority status and the current wage gap
between men and women, the United States should pass a new version of the Equal Rights Amendment,
emphasizing the lack of enforcement of equality. Explain what you mean in detail

Works Cited
Brownmiller, Susan. Against Our Will. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Dines, Gail. "Is porn immoral? That doesnt matter: Its a public health crisis." The Washington
Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/04/08/is-porn-immoral-that-doesntmatter-its-a-public-health-crisis/>.
"The ERA: A Brief Introduction." The Equal Rights Amendment. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.
<http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/overview.htm>.
Hacker, Helen Mayer. "Women as a Minority Group." Pfeiffer University. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
May 2016. <http://media.pfeiffer.edu/lridener/courses/womminor.html>.
Sachs, Andrea. "Phyllis Schlafly." TIME. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.
<http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1889757,00.html>.
Schlafly, Phyllis. "'Equal rights' for women: wrong then, wrong now." Los Angeles Times. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 16 May 2016. <http://www.latimes.com/la-op-schafly8apr08-story.html>.
"A Short History of ERA." Eagle Forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.
<http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/1986/sept86/psrsep86.html>.
Smirnova, Julia, and Weiyi Cai. "See where women outnumber men around the world (and
why)." The Washington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/08/19/see-where-womenoutnumber-men-around-the-world-and-why/>.

"Women's Earnings and Income." Catalyst Knowledge Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.
<http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/womens-earnings-and-income#footnote11_c41etc2>.