Amanda Rutledge

Red Group
As a result of the United States failure to ratify the Equal Right Amendment, the ERA
must be rectified and later signed into law, including the recent struggles that women face both in
the social and work aspects of life. Even as time has passed since the creation of the ERA,
women still face discrimination and inequality based on their sex. In recent years, where access
to porn has become incredibly easy due to online sites, women are pushed down through
negative messages provided to mostly male audiences. As well, the wage gap still exists to this
day, proof that women and men are not seen as equals in the workforce. The social and work
aspects of life impact most citizens on a daily basis, and because women are systematically
discriminated against to this day in both areas, the ERA must be changed.
When the Equal Rights Amendment was first proposed, leaders like Phyllis Schlafly
fought in opposition to the act, stating that such laws would promote a gender-neutral society
instead of one in which citizens respect differences between [different genders] (Schlafly).
Schlafly was also worried that the passing of the ERA would promote homosexuality and
divorce, two scenarios she believed represented the downfall of societal norms (Sachs).
Eventually, the set deadline for 38 states ratification of the ERA passed without the necessary
support, and the ERA died down without being actually passed.
Pornography is a topic that is often shied away from in the discussion of gender equality.
With the expansion of technology, porn has become readily available in many forms, from
photography to online videos and recently, to virtual reality. In todays society, it is estimated that
the average age of first time porn viewers is 11 (Dines). In 2015, Pornhub, a large porn streaming
website, received 21.2 billion visits (Dines). Porn is also protected under the First Amendment,
but is seen by many as a form of discrimination against women (aclu.org). According to a US
study of college aged men, porn viewers are more likely to not react to witnessing sexual

Amanda Rutledge
Red Group
harassment, and women in relationships with regular porn watchers were seen to have lower selfesteem about sexual relations (Dines). It is also evident that porn promotes negative sexual
standards, with 88% of porn containing an act of violence against the woman in the scenario and
49% containing verbal aggression in the form of slurs (Dines). The creation of the porn industry
is proof that women are discriminated against in the social aspect of society, and it is in this way
that current porn should be considered hate speech against women.
The workforce is another area in which the equality between the sexes is evident, still
present 40 years after the ERA. Before the creation of the ERA, many women did not work at
all, or worked as secretaries/other low paying professions. As of 2014, white women made on
average $0.79 to the white mans $1 (catalyst.org). In spite of this, statistically, women have
higher educations than men. In 2013, a study of citizens aged 25-32 found that while 31% of
males held at least a college degree, 38% of women held these higher degrees. These
discrepancies prove that even though women are doing better than 40 years ago, there is still
work needed to be done to fix the gender gap.
Even though women are not technically a minority in this country and white women
should not be given minority status, passing the ERA would protect the equality of the sexes. As
stated in section one of the ERA, Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex (Paul). The passing of the ERA
with included examples of modern day issues would allow for the closure of the wage gap, and
allow the public to realize the negative side effects of the current pornograpahy usage in the
country. In my viewpoint as a young woman, while issues women face are not as evident as
current sexaulity based or race based issues, the discrepancy in treatment of different genders

Amanda Rutledge
Red Group
must be closed. While the feminist movement has grown as a powerful force, the equality of the
sexes is something that must be accomplished with the passing of legislation like the ERA.
Works Cited:
"10 Findings about Women in the Workplace." Pew Research Centers Social Demographic
Trends Project RSS. Pew Research Center, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 08 May 2016.
Dines, Gail. "Is Porn Immoral?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, Web. 08 May
2016.
"The ERA: A Brief Introduction." ERA. Alice Paul Institute Web. 08 May 2016.
"Freedom of Expression in the Arts and Entertainment." American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU,
Web. 08 May 2016.
Sachs, Andrea. "Phyllis Schlafly at 84." Time. Time Inc., 07 Apr. 2009. Web. 08 May 2016.
Schlafly, Phyllis. "'Equal Rights' for Women: Wrong Then, Wrong Now." Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2007. Web. 08 May 2016.
"Women's Earnings and Income." Catalyst. Catalyst, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 08 May 2016.