ABSTRACT
There have been two major points in American history when women have undertaken concerted action in the form of a movement in an attempt to effect a significant change in their public status. The first was the campaign for suffrage, especially between 1910 and 1920, the final phase of women’s efforts. The second was during the 1970s, when women mobilized around the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). In both cases, women eventually organized to achieve a single goal and were willing to make compromises on other important issues to realize that goal. In both cases, women constituted the majority of the proponents for and opponents to the change in their status. In both cases, women’s support for, and opposition to, the vote and the ERA was grounded in their understanding of equality, their perspective on women’s roles in the private and public spheres, and their concept of fairness. Women are not a homogeneous political force, and there is no sex solidarity among women regarding gender equality.
