1972 Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

The 1972 Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed change to the U.S. Constitution aimed at guaranteeing equal legal rights regardless of sex. Its goal was to prohibit discrimination based on gender and ensure equal treatment in areas like employment, education, and property rights. Although Congress approved the ERA, it required ratification by three-fourths of the states to become law. Despite momentum in the 1970s, the ERA fell short of ratification by the deadline in 1982, leaving the quest for comprehensive gender equality through constitutional means unresolved.