Equal Means Equal - by Jessica Neuwirth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A fully revised and updated tenth anniversary edition of the book that former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney says "clearly and eloquently lays out the issues at stake"--from the founder of the ERA Coalition, with an introduction by the women's rights icon Gloria Steinem

When the Equal Rights Amendment passed Congress in 1972, Richard Nixon was president, and All in the Family's Archie Bunker was telling his wife Edith to "stifle it." Over the next decade, a groundswell of support led to ratification by thirty-five states--just three short of the thirty-eight needed. With the original publication of Equal Means Equal ten years ago, a new ERA Coalition emerged, uniting the wisdom of veteran activists with the digital savvy and momentum of a new generation.

Now, thirty-eight states have ratified the ERA, it has met all the constitutional requirements for an amendment, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Senator Lisa Murkowski have introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution; yet, due to a disputed time limit for ratification, it still has not been formally recognized. In this fully revised and updated tenth-anniversary edition, Jessica Neuwirth--founder and former president of the ERA Coalition--explains the current state of the Amendment and lays out the ever greater need for the Amendment through powerful contemporary legal cases and real-world examples. From pay inequity and pregnancy discrimination to violence against women, Neuwirth demonstrates how the lack of constitutional sex equality continues to harm women in the post-Roe era.

In this "vital primer" (Kansas City Star), endorsed by Jimmy Carter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, along with many others, Jessica Neuwirth makes the case "that ratification is the right thing to do" (Kirkus Reviews).

Review Quotes

"A vital primer . . . Neuwirth's easy-to-digest chapters lay out the reasons the amendment is needed and the current state of gender equality rulings in the courts."
--The Kansas City Star

Ten years ago, the original book served as the touchstone and guidebook to building a powerful movement for equality across the United States--awakening a dormant effort and adding millions of the newly informed to activism. As we now witness the erasure of rights of women and the LGBTQ community, it is essential that our Constitution become strengthened by the publication of the ERA. I cannot recommend this book highly enough as a means to that end."
--Carol Jenkins, former president and CEO, ERA Coalition

"Women have waited far too long for constitutional equality, and we are finally at the finish line. This book highlights the rampant gender-based violence and discrimination that our courts have failed to address and makes the compelling case for recognition of the ERA as the 28th Amendment."
--Alyssa Milano, actress and activist

"I was so surprised to learn that the American constitution did not have a provision guaranteeing equal rights for women, as is the case in my country, Sweden, and in most other countries in the world. Reading this book will give you the facts and the legal arguments for change, which is much needed for human rights and democracy."
--Margot Wallström, former foreign minister of Sweden

"I would really like to see the women's movement and the Carter Center and others reinitiate the effort to pass the Equal Right's Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
--Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States

"Women have recently begun to reenergize the Equal Rights Amendment. Who in the world would be against the ERA?"
--Dr. E. Faye Williams, president of the National Congress of Black Women

"This book makes an eloquent and compelling case for an Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Most countries in the world already have constitutional sex equality provisions. This is a fundamental human rights issue, and the American women and men working for the ERA have my wholehearted support."
--Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

"The time is right for the ERA and a new movement of women and men, Democrats and Republicans alike, to put this fundamental right into our Constitution. Equal Means Equal clearly and eloquently lays out the issues at stake and will be an essential tool for the movement."
--Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney

About the Author

Jessica Neuwirth is the co-founder and former president of the ERA Coalition, a co-founder of the international women's rights organization Equality Now, and director of Frontline Women's Fund. She is the Rita E. Hauser Director of the Human Rights Program at Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute/Hunter College and lives in New York City.