Having It All · Episode 2 of 10 · 22 min
The Opening: The Laws That Changed, and the ERA That Died
Between 1963 and 1974 the legal ground shifted for American women: equal pay, a ban on sex discrimination in hiring, NOW, Title IX and the right to credit in their own names. Then the Equal Rights Amendment reached 35 of the 38 states it needed, met Phyllis Schlafly's STOP ERA campaign and expired in 1982. Its legal status is still unresolved in 2026.
Who's who
- Phyllis Schlafly+2 more episodesConservative activist who founded STOP ERA in 1972
- Alice Paul+3 more episodesSuffragist who wrote the original Equal Rights Amendment in 1923
- Betty Friedan+1 more episodeAuthor who co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966
- Martha Griffiths+1 more episodeMichigan congresswoman who forced the ERA out of committee in 1970
- Howard W. Smith+1 more episodeVirginia Democrat who moved to add 'sex' to Title VII
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg+2 more episodesCo-founder of the ACLU Women's Rights Project in 1972
- Patsy Mink+5 more episodesCongresswoman who helped build Title IX
- Sam ErvinNorth Carolina senator and chief Senate opponent of the ERA
Where it happens
- Washington, D.C.+31 more episodesWhere NOW was founded and Congress passed the ERA
- Alton, IllinoisHometown of Phyllis Schlafly
Timeline
- June 1963Kennedy signs the Equal Pay Act
- July 1964Civil Rights Act signed; Title VII bars sex discrimination in employment
- March 1972Senate passes the ERA 84-8 and sends it to the states
- June 1972Title IX becomes law
- October 1974Equal Credit Opportunity Act signed
- June 1982ERA deadline passes at 35 of 38 states
Still debated
Historians disagree about why Howard Smith added 'sex' to Title VII, whether as sabotage, favor or both. The ERA's legal status is also unresolved, since three later states ratified after the deadline and five earlier states rescinded.
← PreviousThe Promise: What Boomer Women Were Told They Could HaveNext →Into the Building: They Let Her In and Changed Nothing Else
Connected episodes in other series
The Front Door and the Back Door: ERA vs. Title IXA Woman's Place · Episode 9Also features Alice Paul, Martha Griffiths
Life Before Title IX: When the Doors Were Bolted ShutTitle IX · Episode 1Also features Patsy Mink
STOP — The Women Who Defeated the ERABest Supporting Actress · Episode 2Also features Phyllis Schlafly
The Great EscapeWho Taught the Teachers · Episode 8Also features Howard W. Smith