Welcome to another edition of “What the hell is going on?” featuring Women’s Rights (yes, we capitalized it… because it’s important). As our rights continue to be ripped away from us, this Women’s History Month feels even more significant. Our collective history is built on the work and struggles of Rosa Parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman, Hilary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and more. We, for one, are glad that RBG is not here to see this.
It wasn’t all that long ago that women didn’t have the same rights as men at the ballot box, the bank, or in hospitals. Did you know:
- Until 1974, women couldn’t get a credit card without their husband’s signature.
- Women couldn’t open bank accounts without a male cosigner until the 1960s.
- A married woman couldn’t get a business loan without her husband until 1988.
- Women weren’t able to serve on juries in all 50 states until 1973.
- Women could be fired for getting pregnant until the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.
In 2023, women still earned only 83 cents on the dollar compared to men working full time, and women make up around 47% of the U.S. workforce – yet here we are. In 2024, women made up 10% of the leaders of Fortune 500 companies with more than 26% of women holding C-suite positions. Women make up around 47% of the U.S. workforce – yet here we are.
This reason alone is why Kim started 8THIRTYFOUR. She knew she would have to pave her own path to leadership, and she wasn’t going to rely on men to get her there.
The ERA of Unfinished Business
It’s been 101 years (1923) since the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first drafted, and we are still fighting for equal protection under the Constitution.
The premise is simple: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” How much of d*ck do you have to be, to disagree with this? Just ask the guy doing Tesla commercials on the front lawn of the White House.
The ERA was first drafted in 1923 by suffragist leaders Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman, fresh off their victory in getting women the right to vote. Paul rewrote it in 1943, to better match the language of the 15th and 19th Amendments. That’s the version we know today.
The ERA was reintroduced in EVERY congressional session from 1923 to 1970, but it rarely made it to a vote. Then, in 1970, Michigan Democrat Martha Griffiths finally managed to get the ERA to the House floor after it had been in committee for 15 years. We repeat, 15 YEARS.
It was finally passed in 1972. But despite being ratified by the required 38 states, the act has not been officially certified as part of the Constitution. That’s because the original ratification deadline for the ERA was set by Congress and expired in 1982. Back then, not enough states ratified the act, meaning it didn’t go through. Virginia became the 38th state and the final one needed to ratify the ERA in 2020.
In January 2025, former President Joe Biden made a statement (empty words – but thanks?) recognizing that the ERA is the 28th Amendment. However, without Congress pushing through the resolutions, removing the deadline from the ratification and then getting a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate and House, the ERA will continue to be passed over.
The Attack on Rights and DEI
We’re watching a systematic dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the country, with the current President calling DEI “illegal and immoral”, and then placing all federal DEI employees on leave a day later. Large and small corporations have scrapped their DEI programs (cowards), halting the progress of decades of work to ensure everyone in the workforce, despite their race, age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, and other social identity aspects, can thrive. And make no mistake – when they come for DEI, they’re coming for women’s advancement too.
Without constitutional protection, the ERA leaves women’s rights vulnerable to the decisions of those in power. But instead of letting that fear overwhelm you, it’s time to channel it into action.
Read our blog, David Meet Goliath, to hear our thoughts on all of this nonsense.
Let’s Be Loud
While we still have our voices and communities and have not fully descended into The Handmaid’s Tale, we need to get loud. It won’t be long before Google deletes Women’s History Month from all calendars – it’ll be like we never existed, like the Gulf of Mexico.
Because we never write a blog without a call to action, here is what we need you to do:
Join and support the ongoing fight for the ERA – Organizations like the ERA Coalition are still fighting to get this amendment fully ratified and implemented.
Speak up—Don’t sit quietly if DEI Initiatives are attacked in your workplace or community. These programs aren’t “special treatment.” They’re attempting to level a playing field that’s been tilted for centuries. Our Resistance Guide has language, templates, and more to help.
Vote. Vote. Vote. – Women’s rights depend on voters. Vote and encourage your loved ones to go to the polls to help support women’s rights. If they vote the other way, don’t waste your time, because clearly, they don’t care about your rights as a human.
Get Involved – Join groups in your community, call a representative, or go to a rally. Let your voice be heard. Groups, like Indivisible, are organizing protests and other efforts to fight back.
Don’t know where to start? Check out our Resistance Guide, full of useful tools, resources, templates, messaging and more.
As we look towards the future, continue to fight, keep pushing, and keep demanding better.
Because until the day comes when we don’t need Women’s History Month to remind people that women are, in fact, fully human and deserving of equal rights, our work isn’t done.
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