Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696591103608.pdf (United States)
Women Women, for a Change: Gender Equality & the Carter Administration Grades 8-12 Program Overview • 1976: A Campaign for Change • Making Change Happen • Support for Equal Rights Amendment • 1980: Running on Change Right: President Carter Signing Legislation for the Equal Rights Amendment , 10/20/1978 (National Archives Identifier: 181970) Out of Many, One How has our nation’s motto, E Pluribus Unum, guided political & social change over time?

What does it mean to you?
Right: Design for the Verso of the Great Seal of the United States, 1782 (National Archives Identifier: 595257) 1976: A Campaign for Change Left: Carter-Mondale 1976 Presidential Election Campaign Poster (Carter Library) 1976: Women & The White House Ford Administration • Women account for 12% of appointees in the Ford Administration • • • • Carla Hills only female Cabinet Secretary (Housing & Urban Development) President Ford supports passage of the Equal Rights Amendment Approves Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 Signs Proclamation on Women’s Equality Day, 1974 Right: National Security Council Discussing the Situation in Vietnam, 4/28/1975 (National Archives Identifier: 186800 1976: Different Appeals to Voters Left: Campaign Button with President Ford as Fonzie, 1976 (National Archives Identifier: 28360684) Right: The Allman Brothers Band Concert Poster, 11/25/1975 (Carter Library) Women Turn Out for Carter (& Ford) Equal Support Among Sexes • • Carter captures 52% of male & female voters (Ford gets 48% of each) Electoral College Victory of 297-240 • Women comprise more than 52% of total voter turnout w/45.62 million votes cast • More people vote in 1976 than any previous election, but voter turnout down 10% from 1964 1976 Presidential Election Results by Gender 23.72 21 21.9 19.72 s e t o V ) s n o i l l i m n i ( Right: Bar graph showing 1976 Presidential Election results for each candidate by gender (Data from U.S. Census Bureau) CARTER FORD Men Women Making Change Happen Left: Jimmy Carter Inauguration, 1/20/1977 (National Archives Identifier: 173353) Constitutional Context What Constitution-based solutions were available to President Carter to address Gender Equality?
• • • Congressional Legislation (Article I, Section 1) o Subject to approval or veto by the President Executive Action (Article II, Section 1) o Powers not relegated to other branches, nor explicitly denied to the Executive Presidential Appointments (Article II, Section 2) o Ambassadors, other public Ministers & Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, & all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for; subject to confirmation by the Senate Right: The Preamble and Article I of the United States Constitution (National Archives Identifier: 1667751) Engaging Women in Business • • Carter creates Task Force on Women Business Owners Carter appoints prominent women in business to administration (e.g., Juanita Kreps) • Number of businesses owned by women rises from 1.9 million in 1977 to 2.5 million in 1980 (33.4% gain) Read Carter’s Remarks to the Task Force on Women Business Owners, 6/28/1977 Left: Jimmy Carter addresses the Task Force on Women Business Owners, 6/28/1978 (National Archives Identifier: 180131) Executive Action Building on Ford’s Work • Carter expands membership of National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year from 35 to 45 (Executive Order 11980, 3/29/1977) • Upon expiration of its congressional statute, Carter creates the Advisory Committee of the International Women’s Year (Executive Order 11250, 4/4/1978) Left: Jimmy Carter meet with the Advisory Committee of the International Women’s Year, 1/12/1979 (National Archives Identifier: 182989) Executive Order 12050 (4/4/1978) “The Interdepartmental Task Force is designed to promote equality for American women by ensuring that the needs of women are recognized and incorporated into Federal policies and programs” • • Established National Advisory Committee for Women (up to 30 members) to work with Executive Branch Established Interdepartmental Task Force to review and implement recommendations of the 1977 National Women’s Conference • Sarah Weddington appointed special assistant to President Carter, head of task force Right: White House News on Women, Vol.
1, Issue 1, (National Archives Identifier: 135889046) Notable Administration Appointments Midge Costanza Assistant to the President for Public Liaison (National Archives Identifier: 177217) Juanita Kreps Secretary of Commerce (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Commerce) Patricia Roberts Harris Secretary of Housing & Urban Development; Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare (National Archives Identifier: 7316017) Judiciary Appointments Left: Carter Initiatives from White House News On Women, Vol.
1, Issue 1 (National Archives Identifier: 120547194) Right: President Carter with Ruth Bader Ginsburg at Reception for Women Federal Judges, 10/3/1980 (National Archives Identifier: 136050236) 1977 National Women’s Conference • Held November 7-11, 1977, in Houston, Texas to address issues & topics concerning women • Notable attendees included First Ladies Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford & Ladybird Johnson • Declaration of American Women read aloud by Maya Angelou Culminates in 1978 report, The Spirit of Houston • Right: Rosalynn Carter with Betty Ford and Ladybird Johnson at the National Women’s Conference, 11/19/1977 (National Archives Identifier: 176924) Legislating Change Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 • Women previously subject to termination from employment as a result of pregnancy An amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 • • Prohibits discrimination based upon pregnancy Left: A baby care class for new and expectant mothers at Loretto Hospital in New Ulm, Minnesota, 10/1974 (National Archives Identifier: 558172) Support for the Equal Rights Amendment Right: Torch relay from Seneca Falls, New York to Houston, Texas, 1977 (National Archives Identifier: 7452296) Equal Rights Amendment of 1972 Joint Resolution Proposing the Equal Rights Amendment , 3/22/1979 (National Archives Identifier: 7455549) Article V: Amendment Ratification Process ...THEN Three-fourths or 38 of the 50 states must vote for ratification National Archives Identifier: 6219856 Proposal must pass by two-thirds majority in both Houses of U.S. Congress… OR Two-Thirds of the States hold a convention & approve proposal… National Archives Identifier: 6219850 National Archives Identifier: 44266110 Buying Time for the ERA • • • Article V makes no mention of ratification deadlines or a process to impose one; Supreme Court decides in Dillon V. Gloss (1921) that Congress has this power The ERA contained a seven-year deadline in its proposal clause, but not the language voted on by states Carter extends deadline from March 22, 1979, to June 30, 1982, buying time for 3 more states to ratify to reach 38 (Art.
II, Sec.

1) Right: Jimmy Carter signing extension of the Equal Rights Amendment, 10/20/1978 (National Archives Identifier: 181981) The ERA: A Full Partnership for Women, ca.
1980 (National Archives Identifier: 136050229) Support From the First Lady • • • • Active supporter of ERA, speaking out in public speeches, fundraisers & press conferences Receives numerous women’s organizations at White House Regularly reached out to legislators in unratified states to garner support Participates in White House strategy sessions to help organize campaigns in unratified states Left: Rosalynn Carter speaks at the National Women’s Conference, 11/19/1977 (National Archives Identifier: 176939) Opposition to the ERA Left: STOP ERA Letter from Phyllis Schlafly, 11/18/1974 (Ford Library) Right: STOP ERA booth at the first National Women’s Conference, 1977 (National Archives Identifier: 24520410) Concerns About the ERA • Women would be required to register for Selective Service (The Draft) • Labor Law protections for women could be questioned • The right to alimony during separation/after divorce may be jeopardized • The tendency for women to win custody of children in divorce cases potentially compromised Right: Woman Wearing a "Stop ERA" Badge, 1977 (National Archives Identifier: 7452309) Carter’s Optimism Excerpt from Passage of the ERA: A Summary of the Efforts of Jimmy Carter, February 1980 (National Archives Identifier: 120547194) Complex Results With No Ratification To Legislate or Amend?
Do you think state or federal laws are an adequate substitute for a Constitutional Amendment?

What do you see as the advantages & disadvantages of each option?
1980: Running on Change Right: Women appointees under the Carter Administration (Carter Library) Fact Sheet: Women in Public Office, 5/1979 (National Archives Identifier: 135889046) Fact Sheet: Women in Public Office, 5/1979 (National Archives Identifier: 135889046) Appealing Directly to Women Carter/Mondale 1980 Campaign Ad #611a featuring Mary Tyler Moore on Women (Carter Library) Carter/Mondale 1980 Campaign Ad #632 featuring Spotlight on Women Working (Carter Library) Carter’s Legacy Excerpt from page four of The Record of Jimmy Carter, ca.
1/21/1977-10/31/1980 (National Archives Identifier: 143373) Concluding Discussion Do you think it is important for the people serving in our government to reflect our nation’s diversity?

Why or why not?
Why or why not?

Further Inquiry & Resources • The Record of Jimmy Carter (National Archives Identifier: 143373) • Records of the Office of the Assistant to the President for Women’s Affairs (Carter Library) • Records of Anne Wexler as Special Assistant to the President (Carter Library) • Opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (Carter Library) • Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library’s Digitized Holdings Related to Women’s Rights • The Equal Rights Amendment and You (Education Activity, Grades 8-12)