Why does Myra Wolfgang believe that the ERA will hurt women?
Let’s look at a larger paradox in American society. Throughout its history, the United States has been forced to grant an increasing number of groups their basic rights and freedom as Americans. However, despite Americans’ willingness to accept Blacks, immigrants, Catholics, Jews, and other historically excluded peoples greater rights and freedoms, Americans have been at the same time reluctant to grant women their full rights and freedoms as American citizens. Even today granting women equal rights in American society is a very controversial and divisive issue. What is it about granting women equal rights that causes some American men and women to fear that American society, the family, and marriage will be undermined? Why do women still not have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as American men do? In order to answer these questions we need to look at the history and debate over the equal rights amendment, the ERA. Having been approved by Congress in 1972, the ERA was soon
