<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal rights for all citizens regardless of sex; it seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters . The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman . The amendment was introduced in Congress for the first time in 1923 and has prompted conversations about the meaning of equality for women and men . In its early history, middle - class women were largely supportive, while those speaking for the working class were often opposed, arguing that employed women needed special protections regarding working conditions and employment hours . With the rise of the women's movement in the United States in the 1960s, the ERA garnered increasing support, and, after being reintroduced by Representative Martha Griffiths (D - MI), in 1971, it passed both houses of Congress in 1972 and was submitted to the state legislatures for ratification . </P> <P> Congress had originally set a ratification deadline of March 22, 1979 . Through 1977, the amendment received 35 of the necessary 38 state ratifications . With wide, bipartisan support (including that of both major political parties, both houses of Congress, and Presidents Ford and Carter) it seemed headed for ratification until Phyllis Schlafly mobilized conservative women in opposition, arguing that the ERA would disadvantage housewives and cause women to be drafted into the military . Four states rescinded their ratifications before the 1979 deadline; however, there is no precedent or mechanism within the US Constitution for rescinding, and, thus, it becomes a legal question . In 1978, a joint resolution of Congress extended the ratification deadline to June 30, 1982, but no further states ratified the amendment before that revised deadline . </P>

What was the purpose of the equal rights amendment (era) which was not passed