Analysis of power of a positive woman by Phyllis Schlafly

Equal rights amendments

Phyllis Schlafly is motivated by what she terms as a noisy movement agitating for women's rights. Aggressive women have flocked television talk shows barking about how ill-treated American women are. They say that housework is degrading and menial and that marriage has put women in new form slavery ( Schlafly 316). The women claim that they are being discriminated against. There is women liberation organization popping up demonstrating and agitating, serving demands on public officials, getting press coverage every time and purporting to speak for a hundred of thousands of American woman. Phyllis is against such notions brought by this kind of women; she says that it is fraud of the centuary.She goes ahead to say that women should not lower themselves to equal rights yet they have special privilege.

Phyllis points out what she sees as wrong with the proposed equal rights amendment which stated that on account of sex, equality rights under the law shall not be denied or abridge by any state or the United States. She goes ahead to claim that the amendment will positively and make women subject to the draft. She further says that ant woman who supports such un-un-American proposal is beyond understanding ( Schlafly 316). Secondly, she claims that the amendment would abolish a woman's right to alimony and child support and substitute what the women libbers think is better equal policy with the discretion of the law. She does not understand why this should be replaced, yet American laws stated that a man should support his child and wife. The wife is not required to support the husband unless he is about to become a public charge. The husband under no circumstance is under no obligation to demand that the wife works to chip in towards the family expenses. The high rank placed on motherhood gives women the special privilege in the case of a divorce. The woman receives custody of the children unless there is overwhelming evidence of bad character, neglect, and mistreatment ( Schlafly 317). She urges that women should not give this up for equal rights as this will mean that in the eventuality of divorce, the children are divided among the parents.

Phyllis claims that the women lib is a sham that will destroy marriages, family, and children. She further urges that women think that the proposal would mean equal pay for equal work, admitting women to medical school, appointments of women to high positions and other desirable objectives .she doesn't, however, oppose legislation or purpose that would bring such tidings to women.

Phyllis risked being scorned and ridiculed by feminist pushing for Equal Rights Amendment. The campaigns against equal rights amendment of the constitution lead to the division of women against other women. There was a group of feminist that were pitted against her ideologies and viewed her as a treat to change. Phyllis had to campaign in all the states to get them to see her point of view. She risked failing in her bid. She had to go into a political battle in spite of overwhelming odds and the opposition from nearly all the media houses and also the most elected officials at every level of government.

Phyllis defended positive freedom by which women freely choose the restrain that comes up with   traditional lifestyles in the hope of holding on to the true authentic woman. Phyllis in her book targeted American people who supported the equal rights amendment in America. She argues that the bill would absolutely and positively make women subject to the draft. She goes ahead to condemn any congressman who loves his wife more daughter sister who supported the bill. She tells them that war is bad enough for men which makes it worse for women.Phyllis also targeted critical judges.

 Phyllis succeeded in her campaign against equal rights amendments, she glorified the traditional roles of American women .she organized, determined opposition that suggested that ratification of the Equal rights amendment would lead to the complete unraveling of traditional American society bringing many undesirable changes to American women. She pointed out that Protective laws like sexual assault and alimony would be swept away. The tendency for the mother to receive child custody in a divorce case would be eliminated.

The Equal Rights Amendment was presented as an amendment meant benefit women, and elevates women out of "second-class citizenship". On the contrary, in thousands of debates, the Equal rights amendments advocates were unable to show any way that Equal rights amendments would end any discrimination against women or would benefit them. The reality is that women have enjoyed equal employment opportunity since 1964 and also enjoy every other constitutional right that is enjoyed by men. Phyllis and her movement were able to show much harm that Equal rights amendment would cause. Equal rights amendment would actually cripple legal rights that women possessed contrary to the notion that it would bestow new rights on women. Equal rights amendment would take away women's military exemption, enlistment and also from military combat duty.  the 14th Amendment already required women to be drafted, regarding this fact ,the equal rights advocates tied to convince the  supreme court to overlook this fact. The Supreme Court, However in1981 in Rostker v. Goldberg ruled the traditional exclusion of women from the draft under the current Constitution Equal rights amendment would take away the conventional benefits of the law for widows, wives, and mothers. Equal rights movement would take away the obligation of support by the husband to the wife that then existed in every state. The federal courts were given Equal rights movement would a massive power to settle on the definitions of the words in Equal rights amendments A, "sex" and "equality of rights." It is reckless to leave it to the courts to decide such emotional, sensitive, and important issues regarding the language appalling to homosexual rights or abortion.

Section II of Equal rights amendment would give a lot of new-fangled powers to the Federal Government that now belong to the states. Congress would also be given the power by Equal rights amendment to legislate on all those areas of law which include traditional disparity of treatment on account of sex, alimony, child custody, marriage, property laws, divorce, adoptions, homosexual laws, abortion, sex crimes, prison regulations and private and public schools. Many battles were lost by conservatives that they had a pessimistic attitude. The proclaimed victory over Equality Rights Amendment showed the pro-family and conservatives activists could win a key political battle in spite of overwhelming odds and the opposition from nearly all the media houses and also the most elected officials at every level of government. Since 1979, the pro family as well as conservatives' movement have had a incredible series of victories which was majorly drawn to attention to by the election and massive win reelection of Ronald Reagan.

Works cited

Schlafly, Phyllis. The power of the positive woman. Jove Publications, 1977.