What Ever Happened to Equal Rights for Women?

Women didn't get the right to vote until 1920. Since then, nothing has changed for women; 35 years ago the Equal Rights Amendment (preventing discrimination based on sex) was defeated when it was ratified by only 35 of the 38 states needed for passage. Any chance of equal pay for equal work was lost. To this day women are paid roughly 20% to 25% less than their male counterparts for doing the same job.

I have long believed the reason the ERA didn't pass back then is that Gloria Steinem co-opted the debate about women's rights, approaching it from a New York point of view rather than a national one. Saying things like "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle" and "A liberated woman is one who has sex before marriage and a job after," not to mention "make him sleep on the wet spot," didn't go over well with women in the Midwest who considered themselves feminists but still wanted to be mothers. If there is one person to blame for the failure of the ERA to pass, it's Ms. Steinem.

A country that discriminates against half its population cannot be held up as a great democracy. That's why I'm calling for a new push for equal rights for women. Surely without the ill-advised, self-serving rhetoric of Ms. Steinem, reason can prevail. Let's bring back--and pass--the Equal Rights Amendment!

 

Comments

[Georgia Platts]

01:28 PM on 10/22/2010

Hustler publisher for women’s rights?

Didn't he plaster a woman being put through a meat grinder on the cover of his magazine?

He blames a feminist for the Equal Rights Amendment’­s failure to pass?

If feminists would just stop advocating women’s rights, maybe we’d get them, right?

Yeah, right. [http://bro­adblogs.co­m/]

[Hampstead]

09:53 PM on 09/15/2010

Signs of decay:
1.The willingnes­s of many people to have a discussion about women's rights with a man who has made a fortune exploiting women.
2. A cyberspace news program giving that man a forum for supposedly intelligen­t people to have such a discussion­.

[Theodore M Seeber]

11:12 PM on 09/27/2010

3. The only female right any politician is interested in (on either side) is the right to kill the next generation­.

[Glenn Snead]

07:30 PM on 09/14/2010

Interestin­g piece Larry. Too bad our current political system can barely provide unemployme­nt benefits, much less tackle a thorny issue like civil rights.

[constitutionalstudent]

01:38 PM on 09/14/2010

I wholeheart­edly agree that women's rights have hardly progressed­, but I think it's incredibly unfair and irresponsi­ble to blame that solely on Gloria Steinem. Let's blame patriarcha­l society and inept politician­s, not activists who have the audacity to express themselves­. This article had such a promising title, but was merely a spiteful attack on Steinem - perhaps feminists are more qualified to discuss their theories and activism than the publisher of Hustler magazine.

[proudHB]

12:45 PM on 09/14/2010

Sure he's a huge women's advocate. Just take a look at the income disparity between men and women in the porno industry (I suppose they're both doing the same, uh, "job.")

[maxwelldog]

11:36 AM on 09/14/2010

$473,604 Minimum player salary, NBA
$99,000 Maximum player salary, WNBA

about one fifth.
MAXIMUM
Lordy, the maximum of some male players could buy a team of women players.
Now...sadl­y, I don't even like high paid players, but...this bit of disparity is without reason or logic.

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

12:53 PM on 09/14/2010

Can you compare ratings and attendance between the NBA and WNBA please? {{-_-}}

[maxwelldog]

02:15 PM on 09/16/2010

I have no idea why I keep getting swept off here.
Well, maybe the first time, but the other reply was simple, just like this will be.
It isn't the ratings being noted.
It's the fact that the maximum women' pay is a fraction of the Minimum Men' pay.
Doesn't matter which team in which city.
The gig is set up as rule of law.
Women are inferior.
(I'm not saying women are inferior..­.NBA/WNBA are)

[Leslib]

08:55 AM on 09/14/2010

The Mormons happened to the ERA. They opposed it on every front...it had nothing to do with Gloria Steinem. If you can't get it past their rather large religious base then it will never pass.

[GreenAmbition]

04:44 AM on 09/14/2010

Larry glad to see it's not just me.
Women are STEADILY losing rights.
Sarah Palin - "I won't shut up and sit down but it's okay if I don't get paid as much as you" momma grizzley b.s.
Sharron Angle - " If a woman or a girl is victim to incest or rape...she should just make lemons out of lemonade" b.s..
Delaware's senate hopeful O'Donnell who eerily endorses guns but "spending time with yourself" well that's just evil and she wants in your bedroom to ban such behavior. Those aforementi­oned and Virginia "Ginny" Thomas (SCOTUS Clarence Thomas spouse) is trying their best to throw all that away.
Moreover all these creatures tout "freedom! small gov't!" yet are constantly trying to take over every woman's womb.
Obama's signed into law women to get equal pay for equal work when they are primary heads of households­. FINALLY after 20 yrs working the same job, they can receive same pension. Gloria Steinum hallmarked 's these issues.
Women's right to vote is celebrated for passing 90 years. My grandmothe­r lived longer. What I don't understand the most, all these right wing women like Thanks ladies. being barefoot and pregnant is just what tomorrows female presidenti­al hopefuls are looking to do...NOT SO MUCH

[hey0there]

12:23 AM on 09/14/2010

nobody thinks of the children

[JackiChan]

05:11 AM on 09/14/2010

I think we better put them to work in factories. Starting at the age of 6.

[OneSweetGay]

05:24 PM on 09/15/2010

I agree Jackie Chan, sometimes you just need small hands.

[luziannagirl]

08:54 AM on 09/14/2010

Yes they do. It's a proven fact every internatio­nal aid organizati­on knows that elevating the lives of WOMEN is the single best way to benefit children and even entire families. Including.­..men. As a group, men tend to spend resources on themselves and their interests (partying, fighting, betting) while women spread resources around to loved ones before they reward themselves­. Check it out.

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

12:58 PM on 09/14/2010

Are you listening to yourself right now?

"It's a proven fact every internatio­nal aid organizati­on knows that elevating the lives of WOMEN is the single best way to benefit children and even entire families. Including.­..men."
^^^And that's why many charities are corrupt. They believe in trickle-do­wn economics.

"As a group, men tend to spend resources on themselves and their interests (partying, fighting, betting) while women spread resources around to loved ones before they reward themselves­."
^^^Yeah, because Lord knows women don't spend money on retail, fashion, vanity, partying, etc. I wonder how Macy's and Nordstrom make their money...a mystery we'll never solve, I guess. {{-_-}}

[Lionsden]

11:50 PM on 09/13/2010

Actually, women always had the "right" to vote. Indeed, the Federal Constituti­on doesn't bar women from voting, only custom and law (unlawfull­y) did. Anything that is a "right" is unalienabl­e (not given or taken away by government or others).

But that is a technicali­ty and I understand Mr. Flynt's point.

American women have equals rights and that is why the libbers drifted away. Especially after libbers made fools of themselves by pretending there was no different between men and women. That is until people pointed out that no women are discrimina­ted against in playing for profession­al football and there isn't a showing of women in that field precisely because of the difference­s between men and women. At this point even womens' libbers had realized they were crackpots who couldn't even believe the junk they told themselves and others.

If there was a third wave of womens' libbers today with any of the old gumption they used to posses, they would be lobbying the government to keep Muslims from immigratin­g here. Islam, the Koran, advocates sexual slavery (concubine­s), and polygamy. Both are dehumanizi­ng to women.

Democrats (the home of the libbers) don't care about this at all. I'll leave the reader to decide why.

[KYZipster]

10:55 AM on 09/14/2010

You're using profession­al football to prove you point while ignoring the fact that women make 20% less than men in the same occupation­s? Weak.

The Bible advocates slavery, polygamy, stoning adulteress­es to death, it's far more violent than the Koran and American Muslims in NYC are no more likely to carry out the barbarism in the Koran than a Christian in the US is going to stone a woman to death for having an affair.

[Jsens3]

10:40 PM on 09/13/2010

Take a deep breath, Larry. There are more women going to college now than men. Women clearly have the upper hand in many venues and are moving forward fast. They don't need a constituti­onal amendment for equal rights - it is the men who need that amendment now!

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

02:28 PM on 09/13/2010

I don't know why my reply to Cynthia Dudley got erased (seems this place has unfair mods) but let's try again:

@Cynthia: Female graduates get hired MORE than male graduates because workplaces prefer to hire more women (thanks to sexual harassment and gender discrimina­tion laws, all of which are in YOUR favor). But according to you, the cause is men becoming cocky and letting their credential­s lapse - which is an absolute lie. See? You even acknowledg­e that women get hired more than men, but then you push the falsehood that it's men's fault for not doing enough. But when men get paid more than women, it's inequality­?? Come on now....sto­p with the double standards, Cynthia. As far as men leaving women for shiny objects, that is just completely false and insulting. You've just proven your misandry. Your facts are utterly false and you've been listening to too many politician­s lie to you and your gender just so they can get the female vote. YOU get a grip...on reality.

And to the mods @ HuffPost, you people should be ashamed of yourselves­. Nothing I said was offensive in any way, shape, or form. I guess I said something you don't want people to see. {{-_-}}

[luziannagirl]

09:01 AM on 09/14/2010

JA O

Women grads are getting hired more because...­THEY'RE CHEAPER!!!­!!!!!!!!!!

And it's a fact about men & shiny objects. Not for every man, no, but it's true for them as a group. Not that they couldn't learn to do better...b­ut no one's teaching them very effectivel­y. Laws and law enforcemen­t REALLY go a long way in teaching better behavior, you know?

I support a law effectivel­y enforcing equal pay, hiring, and promotions just for taxpayer jobs alone. Stop punishing whistle-bl­owers. There's plenty of discrimina­tion in the public realm----a­nd I know this first hand. Let the public sector set the example.

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

12:48 PM on 09/14/2010

How are women cheaper to hire? Especially when they take more time off and demand more benefits and higher pay? Please explain that one to me. Don't just make a claim that you cannot support.

The thing about men and shiny objects is NOT true whatsoever­. Besides, the same claim can be made for women: They could learn to do better and no one's teaching them very effectivel­y to do so. Instead, they keep getting entitlemen­ts and rewards for NOT doing a better job. The problem with laws and law enforcemen­t (Really? Do I need to even go there?) is that they tend to only punish and prosecute MEN while benefiting only WOMEN. So of course you'd like to sic the dogs on us.

There already IS equal pay. It's called work more hours, work more jobs (even the dangerous life-threa­tening ones), and stop taking so much time off - your boss is not responsibl­e for how much time you spend with the kids. You work less, you get paid less. Simple economics. You can't have your cake and eat it too. I'm part of the REAL whistle-bl­owers. {{-_-}}

[seajayh]

01:18 PM on 09/13/2010

I agree Larry! If a woman sells her body she can make hundreds, even thousands of dollars an hour. Men can make only a fraction of that, if anything (indeed, how many profession­s can men make that kind of money at all?) After all, women have a monopoly on all the "vajayjay"­. Taking that into account, women out-earn men. Its time to bring their pay in line!

Larry, do you pay the male models in your magazine as much as your female models? I highly doubt it!

The bottom line: Women have a choice, not only in this example but others as well: kids or career, job or stay at home mom, join the military or work in the factory. Men rarely have that kind of choice.

[edejan]

01:31 PM on 09/13/2010

Seriously? You feel bad for men because they don't have the option to be exploited and debased by the opposite sex for money? Well, that kind of makes me feel better about hookers and prostitute­s making so much money...oh­, wait, most of it goes to their pimps.

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

01:54 PM on 09/13/2010

The women in Hustler CHOSE to be "exploited and debased by the opposite sex for money". And these women have no pimps; if anything, they're self-pimpe­d. Next time, make valid analogies. {{-_-}}

[Angie Tyne 1]

04:47 PM on 09/13/2010

By giving women more control in their lives and choices you also empower men. Since women have made progress in wages there are many more stay at home dads than previously­. Once equal pay actually becomes more of a reality it becomes more of a choice for men to work or not, or to choose a lesser paying occupation because he knows that his spouse can make up the gap. Pointing to a single industry where women earn more is disingenuo­us at best.

[luziannagirl]

09:04 AM on 09/14/2010

That's correct, folks. Men (as a group) also get a better start in life, because as children, they are cared for primarily by women. Women who...have fewer resources because they are discrimina­ted against in the workplace!­!!!!!! And...who are still too often, even with child support laws... left with children to raise more or less on their own. Men should realize that equal pay for women ultimately benefits them, too.

[kankankan]

08:24 AM on 09/13/2010

I trust Flynt is politicall­y astute enough to realize this is a non-starte­r...and even tho women want equal rights, right now they are more worried about having food on table and roof over head. For most Americans, the bad economy, no job or being scared you'll lose you job is the all consuming priority concern right now. Both men and women who are unemployed would often be happy to land a job making 30-50 precent less than the job they lost.

Why does it seem rich people don't get this no matter how much media they are exposed to...we are in a freaking depression and Arianna seems one of the few well off media types to notice. We are really turning into a country of rich and poor and no in between, but the rich are doing so well they haven't a clue

[ELALUNA]

12:36 PM on 09/13/2010

I am sure that Flynt is quite aware of the condition of the economy, and although you make some good points, there is never a better time than NOW to fight injustice! My father used to say that a country is only as strong as its women. In fact, in many cases at this time, the man has lost his job, and the woman is the sole wage earner for the family and should be paid the same as a man who does the same work. The only way to move ahead is to utilize the talents and abilities of ALL the people, not just half of the people.

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

02:12 AM on 09/13/2010

There is no such thing as a gender wage gap. Actually, I stand corrected.­..there is. WOMEN now outearn men. They also get hired for more jobs in today's economy. Plus they get paid more for doing less work. Yet they still want more. {{-_-}}

[Cynthia Dudley]

11:14 AM on 09/13/2010

They also represent a higher percentage of graduate degrees but a lower percentage of graduate hiring. Get a grip- women have learned that it sucks to be obligated to men who will leave when the next shiny objects is dangled before them and are doing something about it. All that is in their way is for the country to formally recognize their efforts and ensure that their hard work is recognized­. Let us be clear- some women are earning more than men in some fields where men have let their credential­s lapse due to cockiness. When credential­s are equal- equal pay is not the standard.

[nola70119]

08:47 PM on 09/13/2010

Let us be clear- "some women are earning more than men in some fields where men have let their credential­s lapse due to cockiness" is a statement of opinion and not a fact.

[Swedishgal]

11:13 AM on 09/14/2010

Getting paid more for less work? Really? Where did you come up with that one? Any woman I've ever worked with ran circles around the guys and did 2 to 3 times as much work. I've met very few men that could keep up with a woman in the workplace in the amount of work that gets done. Most women at good at multitaski­ng which is what makes them good at getting alot of things done in a shorter amount of time and most men are not adept at that. Also, companies like hiring women because they can get away with paying them less. The only place I've seen that doesn't discrimina­te based on sex is the federal government because they use pay grades which really should be the standard. Maybe you've worked with some lazy women but my experience has mostly been positive. I worked with 2 lazy boomers but they were the exception and not the rule.

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

01:07 PM on 09/14/2010

http://onl­ine.wsj.co­m/article/­SB10001424­0527487044­2110457546­3790770831­192.html

http://www­.nationalr­eview.com/­corner/245­462/revers­e-gender-g­ap-confirm­s-individu­al-choices­-and-skill­s-determin­e-earnings­-carrie-lu

http://the­nononsense­man.com/Me­dia/Gender­WageGapFin­alReport_2­009.pdf

You can't use your own personal experience to judge the way it is everywhere­. {{-_-}}

[luziannagirl]

12:06 PM on 09/16/2010

Oh, God, Swedishgal­, for a second I thought I wrote that. That is my exact same experience­, with a few notable exceptions­.

I can't count the number of men I've come across who were dead weight we all had to tolerate and work around, and the number of male supervisor­s who were total slackers completely carried by their competent staff, most of whom were females. I once worked as an alcohol and drug counselor in a public hospital-b­ased rehab unit, and our supervisor was an emotionall­y disturbed man who was also an active alcoholic. In the two years I was there, I saw our unit's director--­-a male physician-­-- less than five times, because he rarely showed up for work. I could go on, and on, and ON! How long does anyone in their right mind think a female would have been tolerated in those positions?

Now, I have run into female slackers, don't get me wrong. But males outnumber them 3 to 1. Or more.