At the 1944 Democratic National Convention , the Democrats made the divisive step of including the ERA in their platform , but the Democratic Party did not become united in favor of the amendment until congressional passage in 1972 . The main support base for the ERA until the late 1960s was among middle class Republican women . The League of Women Voters , formerly the National American Woman Suffrage Association , opposed the Equal Rights Amendment until 1972 , fearing the loss of protective labor legislation
1944 Democratic National Convention
1944 Democratic National Convention
Equal Rights Amendment