The equal rights legislation has personally affected me because without equal rights a woman would never be able to hold a position that was supposed to be occupied by a man. Without the equal rights movement, my aunts would have never been allowed to join the military, my cousins would have never been allowed to be police officers, correction officers, lawyers, doctors, or even train and bus operators and I would not have been allowed to work in the post office. The equal rights amendment greatly affected women but also greatly affected men, it allowed men to be able to occupy positions that would have normally be occupied by women such as nurses, caregivers, teachers, and secretaries. This amendment allowed people to break the barriers of gender roles and not have to conform to the ways of society.

To think that the equal rights legislation was passed in 1972 is mind-boggling because my mother was born in 1966 and my dad in 1963 so that tells me that we have come a long way in such a short period of time. Even though we have made great progress we still have a long way to go. Though men and women are allowed to work in the positions and fields of their choosing there are still many ways men and women are not equal. There are employers who would still rather a man in certain positions over women and also men are paid noticeably more than women. Women are paid about 80 cents to the dollar that their male counterpart receives.

This is the reason why equal rights legislation is so important because I hope that when it’s time for my daughter into the workforce that she would be able to reap the benefits of this act. I would hope that she will have the same opportunities as any man and will be compensated equally the same way I would hope the same would happen for my nephews and cousins. This is also why Ruth Bade Ginsberg is important because she has always used her platform to promote equal opportunity for everyone. She continues to fight the good fight and continues to help change the laws the cause separation and division in the United States of America. Ruth Bader Ginsberg provides hope that we as a country is moving in the right direction and I hope that the next generation will continue in her footsteps to help promote change and equality in America.