Attitudes toward the Equal Rights Amendment

Abstract

This research applies functionalist, Marxist, and feminist conceptualizations of class and status to an explanation of support of the Equal Rights Amendment. Multivariate analysis of a 1977 national sample indicates that for men, not socioeconomic standing but marriage to a housewife contributes to ERA opposition. Among women, those of lower socioeconomic standing are more opposed to the ERA, regardless of how class or status is measured. The findings suggest that for women, lower socioeconomic standing is as important as religious beliefs and political conservatism in shaping opposition to the ERA. Findings also suggest that a woman's position in the stratification system is based both on the class of her usual occupation, regardless of whether she currently works, and on the status of her husband or father.