The Equal Rights Amendment was finally ratified in 1972 by Congress, which granted women the same rights as men. 38 states had ten years to ratify their laws. A few states were unwilling to ratify it. 38 states needed to ratify it by 1979 for it to be added to the Constitution.
What Happened?
States like Illinois were opposed to changing their laws. In May 1976 The National Organization for Women (NOW) organized the first protest. 16,000 people attended. Illinois still persisted and more marches were organized throughout the next few years. The largest march took place on July 9, 1978 in Washington, DC. More than 100,000 protesters attended and 35 speakers.
The Aftermath
35 states ratified The Equal Rights Amendment by the deadline. The deadline was pushed to 1982 by Congress because of the women’s protest. In 2017 Nevada ratified the amendment. This year Illinois ratified the amendment. 37 states have ratified it at this point even though the deadline was 36 years ago.