Feminists worked throughout the 1970s for the success of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Near the end of the decade, Congress approved an extension of the ratification deadline. But did any states ratify the ERA during the deadline extension?
Unfortunately, the three-year extension did not bring any more state ratifications.
After being passed by both houses of Congress, in March 1972 ERA was sent to the states for ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. The accompanying Congressional instructions provided a seven-year deadline. Despite a flurry of states approving ERA early on, the pace of ratifications slowed in the mid-1970s.
Anti-feminist forces spread resistance to a Constitutional guarantee of equal rights. Feminist activists renewed their efforts and managed to achieve a deadline extension, beyond the initial seven years. In 1978, the deadline for ratification was extended from 1979 to 1982.
But the anti-feminist backlash had begun to take its toll. Some legislators switched from their promised “yes” votes to voting against ERA. Despite the fervent efforts of equality activists, and even a boycott of unratified states by major U.S. organizations and conventions, no states ratified the ERA during the deadline extension.
The last state to ratify was Indiana, the 35th state to do so, in 1977. The ERA ultimately fell three states short of the required 38 out of 50 and is still not a part of the Constitution.