I need the ERA because…without the ERA, the US violates international law

In October 2023, the United States was reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and for the first time, a UN treaty body recommended that the United States adopt the ERA. 

As part of our, I Need the ERA Because… campaign, we examine how the ERA would help position the United States as a true leader of equality and place it among the 85% of UN member states that have already achieved constitutional equality.

For over 100 years, generations of feminists have been working toward gender equality within the United States Constitution. Download this factsheet to learn more about how the ERA could prevent or eliminate existing discriminatory practices on the basis of sex or gender; facilitate the elimination of sex-discriminatory laws within the United States; uphold the fundamental human right of everyone to equality and non-discrimination, and bring the United States more in line with international law.

Update:

In January 2025, former US President Biden declared the Equal Rights Amendment the “law of the land” and the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Until then, the Constitution did not explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, in stark contrast to the vast majority of UN Member States (85%), whose constitutions prohibit such discrimination. However, since the change in administration, the White House has archived Biden’s declaration, and opponents argue his action was legally meaningless. Thus, constitutional equality in the US remains precarious, underscoring the urgent need for the ERA’s universal recognition and implementation.