Feminism Essay

Nate Bodner
Green Group
4/30/15
In the United States, women have been discriminated against non-stop for
hundreds of years. The only time when change seemed possible was in the 1970s when
The Equal Rights Amendment was almost made into law. But since America is unwilling
to grant women equal opportunities, women should be afforded the legal protection of a
minority group. Minority groups are never based on population percentages, but rather is
defined as a group that experiences a narrowing of opportunities (success, education,
wealth) that is disproportionally low compared to their numbers in society. Somehow
women represent more then half of the population of the United States but experience a
noticeable narrowing of opportunities in the workplace and elsewhere.
Women have organized and fought for equal rights since the 1800s. But they
hadnt gained any traction or support until the 1920s when the 19th amendment to the
constitution was ratified. This guaranteed women the right to vote. But women werent
finished yet. In the 1960s and 70s a new wave of feminism swept across the nation. In
this time women almost got the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passed into law. The
amendment would have guaranteed equal rights and opportunities, and full constitutional
recognition and protection. Susan Brownmiller, a feminist leader and the author of the
book, Against Our will, believed that the ERA represented a tidal wave that would correct
hundreds of years of discriminatory laws, laws that created a system in which women
had no choice but to let men be [their] protectors (Against Our Will, 388).
The ERA movement seemed unstoppable until Phyllis Schlafy formed STOP
ERA, a group of people who believed that women did not deserve to have equal rights.
Schlafy opposed the ERA because she believes that a womens place is a home, and their
husbands should support them. Also equal rights would allow women to be drafted for

Feminism Essay
Nate Bodner
Green Group
4/30/15
war. Not having equal rights allowed military exemption. Schlafy has a daughter and did
not want her to go into the military. Phyllis Schlafy and the STOP ERA fought hard and
managed to keep the ERA from being made into law with only three states needing to
ratify it left. They are the number one reason women dont have the same rights as men to
this day. But women never received the minority protection either.
Another thing that is leading women to being a minority is the porn industry.
Brownmiller says that pornography is a current reminder of male dominance and it
teaches males that they are superior. Many ERA supporters agree with Brownmiller and
they also believe that pornography should be considered a form of hate speech that is
used to keep women in their place. This isnt true. The porn industry is made up almost
entirely of women. Most of them are not forced to do what they do; they do their jobs
voluntarily. Being in the porn industry is well within everyones first amendment right.
Women have come a long way towards achieving equality. Laws have been
passed to give women the right to vote, to make it illegal to discriminate in the
workplace, to have abortions within three months of pregnancy, and many other things.
But there is still a long way to go. Women still face discrimination in many places that
keeps them form getting raises, better jobs, and better educations. Women should have
the protection given to minorities to help stop the discrimination faced by millions of
women every day.

Feminism Essay
Nate Bodner
Green Group
4/30/15

Work Cited
Schlafy, Phyllis, Equal Rights for Women: Wrong Then, Wrong Now. Los
Angeles Times. LA Times, 8 Apr. 2007. Web. 3 May 2015.
<http://www.latimes.com/la-op-schlafy8apr08-story.html>.
Farlex. Civil Rights. The Free Dictionary. Farlex, 2013. Web. 3 may 2015.
<http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Civil+Rights>.
Covert, Bryce. About a Third of Women Have Experienced Discrimination in the
Workplace. ThinkProgress. Think Progress. 19 Aug. 2013. Web 3 May 2015.
<http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/19/2486721/about-a-third-of-womenhave-experienced-discrimination-in-the-workplace/>.
Wallis, Holly, and Stephen Robb. Workplace discrimination Prompts Whitened Job
Applications. BBC News. BBC News, 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 3 May 2015.
<http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20608039>.