Question

Although passed by Congress in 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment failed to be ratified by 3/4 of the state legislatures before the 1982 deadline. According to its supporters, this amendment would have accomplished which of the following?

a. eliminated restrictions on women's right to vote
b. protected women from unfair treatment in the workplace
c. set quotas for the number of congressional seats held by women

Answer 1

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), if ratified, would have protected women from unfair treatment in the workplace and ensured legal equality for all citizens regardless of sex. Therefore, the correct option is B.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), first proposed in 1923 by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman, was intended to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. The amendment stated that the quality of rights under the law should not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. The ERA passed both chambers of Congress in 1972 but failed to be ratified by the requisite number of state legislatures.

According to its supporters, if ratified, the ERA would have protected women from unfair treatment in the workplace and against discrimination based on sex in a variety of other contexts. This goal was directly tied to persistent efforts by women's rights groups to combat gender discrimination and ensure equality. The amendment did not seek to eliminate restrictions on women's right to vote as these restrictions had already been lifted by the 19th Amendment, nor did it explicitly call for set quotas for the number of congressional seats held by women.