The Feminine Mystique

by

Betty Friedan

A proposed amendment that declared “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” In 1972, the ERA passed Congress and was sent to the states for ratification. The original seven-year deadline for ratification had been extended to 1982, but it was ratified by only thirty-five states instead of the thirty-eight that were needed.
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Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Term Timeline in The Feminine Mystique

The timeline below shows where the term Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) appears in The Feminine Mystique. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Epilogue
Nature vs. Nurture Theme Icon
Work Theme Icon
...which encouraged her to pursue the issue of abortion and to push for adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution to end officially discrimination in employment opportunities. (full context)
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When Senator Eugene McCarthy, the chief sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment announced his campaign for the presidency, Friedan contacted New York Congresswoman and activist Bella Abzug... (full context)
Nature vs. Nurture Theme Icon
Sex and Marriage Theme Icon
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...agenda for what Friedan called “Stage 1 of the sex-role revolution” had been accomplished. The ERA had passed Congress, the Supreme Court had ruled that no state had the right to... (full context)
Domesticity and Femininity Theme Icon
Nature vs. Nurture Theme Icon
Consumerism and The Power of Advertising Theme Icon
...lobbied against the Nineteenth Amendment, Friedan believed that there was a campaign to ‘block the ERA.” Employers in Ohio gave women a week off to cross the Kentucky border and protest... (full context)