The struggle for women's rights has made some important strides and experienced a number of setbacks over the last 30 years.Discuss the "Equal Rights Amendment," Title IX of the 1972 Education Act,the Supreme Court's decisions in Franklin v.Gwinnet County Public Schools (1991)and Ledbetter v.Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.(2007).

There are four components to this question.
a.Equal Rights Amendment: This proposed amendment stated that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The amendment easily passed Congress in 1972 and won quick approval in many state legislatures,but it fell three states short of the 38 needed to ratify it by the 1982 deadline.
b.Title IX of the 1972 Education Act: This law forbade gender discrimination in education and has made progress in creating equality in men's and women's college athletic programs.
c.Franklin v.Gwinnet County Public Schools: The Supreme Court ruled that monetary damages could be awarded for gender discrimination,opening the door for more legal action in the area of education.The greatest impact has been in the areas of sexual harassment and in equal treatment of women's athletic programs.
d.Ledbetter v.Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.: This case involved a woman supervisor named Lily Ledbetter,who learned late in her career that she was being paid up to 40 percent less than male supervisors,including those with less seniority.Ledbetter filed a grievance with the EEOC,charging sex discrimination.The Supreme Court denied her claim,ruling that according to the law,workers must file their grievance 180 days after the discrimination occurs.