Legal changes to women's rights
The 1970s saw a number of changes that improved women’s rights, although not to the extent that the feminist Someone who supports the belief that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men. wanted.
The Equal Rights Amendment
CongressThe legislative body of the US government, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. passed the ERAEqual Rights Amendment. A law that was intended to guarantee equality in all aspects of life via the US Constitution. In the end, it was not added to the Constitution as not enough states supported it. in 1972. This would have given women a constitutional right to equal treatment. However, a women called Phyllis Schlafly, wo believed the law would damage families, set up an organisation called Stop ERA to campaign against states agreeing to this law.
According to the constitutionA set of laws by which a country is governed. 38 of 50 states had to agree to a constitutional amendment before it could be added to the Constitution. Schlafly succeeded in her campaign, as by 1982 only 35 out of 38 states supported the ERA. Therefore, the amendment was not added to the Constitution.
Abortion
abortionThe medical process of ending a pregnancy so it doesn't result in the birth of a baby. rights were one of the feminists’ most controversial demands. Abortion was illegal across the USA in 1960. However, gradually some states began to allow it, such as New York in 1970. In 1973, after a court hearing involving a woman referred to as Jane Roe, the United States Supreme CourtThe highest court in the USA. It has the power over all courts in the country. ruled in the Roe v Wade judgement that all women had a constitutional right to get an abortion if they wanted one.
In 2022, a Supreme Court ruling overturned Roe v Wade and individual states are now able to ban abortion if they wish.
Legal judgements and new laws
Several forms of discriminationTo treat someone differently or unfairly because they belong to a particular group. against women were addressed through legal judgements or new laws.
- The 1971 Reed v Reed Supreme Court ruling said that laws that discriminated against women were unconstitutional If something is unconstitutional, it means that it breaks rules about how the US government should be run.
- The 1972 Educational Amendments said that girls had to have the same lessons as boys at school, although it took a long time for schools to make these changes.
- The 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act made it illegal to discriminate against women when lending money.
- The 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act banned employers from discriminating against pregnant women.
- The 1993 Gender Equity in Education Act aimed to ensure gender equity in education - authorising that changes could be made to teaching and textbooks in order to achieve equity for women and girls. It also aimed to improve gender equity in education by training teachers to be more aware of issues affecting women and the techniques with which to deal with them this including preventing sexual harrassment.
