The Archivist's Job Is Clerical — Not a Veto Over the Constitution
July 14, 2026
How the Equal Rights Amendment Can Protect Women's Place in the Workforce
July 21, 2026
How the Equal Rights Amendment Can Protect Women's Place in the Workforce
The National Women's Law Center (NWLC) has painted a devastating picture of the state of gender and sex equality in the United States. Their analysis of the May 2026 jobs report shows that while almost 200,000 men joined the labor force last month, ~71,000 women have left it. This brings the total number of women who have exited the labor force this year up to 300,000. These numbers reflect a systemic failure to protect the economic freedom and equality of women in the United States. This is exactly why we need to recognize the federal Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th amendment of the United States Constitution.What Does This Mean?
When women leave the workforce en masse, it actively widens the gender wage gap. Many often oversimplify the gap as a direct comparison of hourly pay, but it goes deeper in how it's tied to lifetime earnings, career progression, and systemic barriers. Several things happen when women are forced out of the labor market:- Loss of Seniority and Advancements: Taking extended time out of the workforce can make it harder to advance into higher positions.
- Reduced Lifetime Earnings: Time away from a job can put a cut on long-term retirement savings, Social Security benefits, and wealth accumulation as a whole.
- Compounded Harm for Women of Color: The NWLC report highlights that the pain is not felt equally. Roughly 10% (1 in 10) women working part-time are doing so for economic reasons, such as underemployment. That number jumps to 14.8% for Black women and 16.7% for Latinas.
The Equal Rights Amendment is a Tool We Need
Right now, women rely on federal and state laws, such as Title VII and the Equal Pay Act, to fight against sex and gender discrimination. But time and time again, those who hold political power can gut, roll back, or weakly enforce legislation. The Equal Rights Amendment changes that in a few simple words:"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."The ERA was ratified by the required 38 states in 2020, meeting the threshold set out in Article V of the Constitution. Its recognition as the 28th Amendment is now a political battle. That fight is exactly why this moment matters: the ERA is a permanent constitutional foundation that raises the bar for justifying policies that harm women's economic mobility This creates stronger ground to build paid family leave, affordable childcare, and pregnancy discrimination protections. Systemic pay disparities become harder to defend once a constitutional guarantee of sex equality replaces the statutes that each new Congress can rewrite. The data from May 2026 shows why we can't afford to let this fight stall. Full recognition of the ERA won't reverse these losses on its own; however, it's a foundation worth fighting for. Want to help us build an economy where women can thrive? Sign our Pledge to demand the recognition of the ERA and join the Coalition today: bit.ly/PledgeERA