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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1978)
friday, march 17, 1978 fathom page 5 law may not change society state anti-era faction gathers by gait stork t, .he only place a ratified Eaual Riehts - ... C7 Amendment (ERA) will show up is on the lawbooks, at least until social attitudes have time to change, said Kappie Weber, chairperson of the women's rights commit tee for the League of Women Voters of Nebraska. Weber said the ERA would rewrite laws omitting blatant gender references, as well as discriminatory intent. "If laws are not discriminatory what happens can't be discriminatory," said Karalyn Schmidt, president of Lincoln's National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter. A difference in the court interpretation of laws is one major ERA effect that will mean consistent rulings on sex-related cases, Weber said.. Currently, the 14th amendment assur ing equality under the law to all men is in terpreted by the Supreme Court to mean men, not people, Weber said. This results in the courts refusal to in terpret the J 4th amendment in broader terms. The ERA is necessary, Schmidt said. Ohe described ERA as "a person amendment." "ERA is a basic tool for women, but men need it too," Weber said. "There are laws that discriminate against both sexes." Kay Ridenour, chairperson of ERA task force for the Lincoln NOW chapter, pointed out that the protective laws under the ERA would extend to men also, es pecially in social security, insurance poli cies, alimony and child custody practices. According to Ridenour, the process of conforming laws has improved and changed gradually. Weber said Midwestern states are more receptive to this kind of change because they were not around for the Victorian age and are accustomed to their women pitch ing in and working. She said Nebraska already has revised some of its laws. The most recent change was designating 17 as the age for both sexes to marry without consent. However these changes resulted from women pushing for them in the legislature, not because Nebraska is looking forward to preparing for the ERA, Weber said. . Weber said although the amendment would degender laws faster than the one-by-one process women's groups are using now, the laws still will not change overnight. However in the two years between rati fication and the time ERA would go into effect, a new atmosphere and way of think ing may be set by it, Ridenour said. "People will have the opportunity to be what they want to be, and having the law behind them will support their choice," she said. areers r 4 1 Photo by Bob Pearson she is qualified, not if she demands it." Clara Lincoln job through a job personnel company. "I tried working indoors. I couldn't stand it. It gets boring," Semler said. Semler. originally from Dorchester. Ne.. is the daughter of a farmer. She rides the trail to her 8-to4:30 job on a motorcycle when the weather is nice. While at work she loads lumber and steel and drives it to four construction sites in a 1969 Ford pickup After work, one might see her playing on a Softball or a volleyball team or coaching a men's volley ball team from Peterson Construction. "That's what keeps me occupied in Ijncoln," said the slender, 20yar-old. blonde. Semler said it is not difficult to be a minority with a men's construction crew. "When I started 1 didn't want to bother them to help me. I ignored them. I didn't know how they felt about me," she said. Since then, she said she feels like one of the crew. Semler said she feels she is physically able to do most things. "I'm sure I've done some things they never thought I could do, but they don't say anything," she said. Semler said that she feels many women are working at men's jobs to prove they can do it. "I'm not a women's libber. I just do this work because I like to," Semler said. Vlara Edwards is an 1 1 -year employee of the Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company. lor six of the 1 1 years she has been employed at LT and T. Edwards has been a switchman for the telephone company. She was the second woman to be hired as a switchman lor the company. Now there are 15. dwards travels through a mae of tele phone wires and selector and connector boxes, listening for a warning signal that will indicate there is a problem on the line at her station at 48th and South streets. According to 1 dwards. she always has been interested in mechanics. She worked in an office job at LT and T before she took a class at a technical school so she could bid on the switchman's job. Her job involves a knowledge of electricity and mechanics. Ldwards, 35, said that working with men was a problem at first. "They (men) didn't think we (women) would be able to handle it," she said. She said she is pleased with her job. "You learn something everyday. It's not a dull or tedious job," she said. Edwards said she believes in equal rights for women under one condition. "Every woman should have equal rights, if she is qualified, not if she demands it," she said. A woman does not have to give up her femininity in a man's field either, she said. "That's up to her." Edwards said. "If she wants to get rid of it, she can use the same language as the guys. She can keep it by not talking the way they do," she said. "I don't feel I've lost any. I don't find any (co-workers) who wouldn't open the door for me. If you respect their rights, they're not going to treat you like one of the boys." she said. by deb shanahan Qs the proposed Equal Rights Amend ment (ERA) journies across the country waiting to be ratified by the necessary number of states to become an amendment to the Constitution, opponents gather, some of them in Nebraska. Probably the Nebraskan most instru mental in getting the state's ratification of the ERA rescinded is former state senator Richard Proud. Proud introduced L.R9, a resolution rescinding the previous year's support of the ERA. LR9 was adopted by the Legislature March 15, 1973. Proud, an Omaha lawyer, says the pro posed amendment is not for the benefit of women and probably wouldn't have gotten through the Unicameral the first time if it had been called what it "really is the Equal Obligations Amendment." Proud cited girl's competitive sports and the military draft as areas where women would lose rather than benefit if the ERA were passed. "It would erase distinctions based on sex, so there would be no segregated teams." he said, adding that the percentage of girls who could successfully compete with boys is very low. Supporters of the ERA often overlook the possibility of women being drafted be cause we presently do not have a draft, Proud said. But he pointed out that it could be reinstated at any time, and under the ERA both sexes would be required to serve on an equal basis. "Women are drafted in Israel because it's a small country, but they serve a shorter period of time than men and do not serve on the front lines." he said. Another Nebraskan concerned with the possibility of drafting women is Mrs. Willard (Ty) (irothe of Omaha. (irothe was instrumental in getting the state legislature to reconsider its ratification of the ERA. "Congress has the power to draft women but has never exercised that power. But with the ERA. Congress would have no right to exempt women from the draft or combat." she said. Another area where Proud said women would lose benefits with the new amend ment is insurance rates. "Women get lower insurance rates now because they live longer. If the ERA goes through, this distinction couldn't be made and women would end up paying higher rates." he said, adding that he could not think ot any advantages women would receive. P, roud said he wrote an essay entitled The Truth About the IRA in which he argues not only that women will not bene fit from the adoption of the amendment, but also that it is not necessary. "There's no way an equal rights amend ment is needed anyway. Women are fully protected by the 14th amendment and this has been proven many times in court," Proud said. Proud said he realizes that discrimina tion between the sexes exists, but that "if men ever woke up they would be asking for an equal rights amendment." He also said discrimination is a fact of life that we cannot get away from. Grothe also admits to a problem with discrimination, but says the ERA is not the only way to solve the problem. "We do have problems, I don't live in a Utopia. But I think the area of govern ment closest to you is most responsive," she said, explaining that by amending the Constitution we would be putting many matters now under the state government in the hands of the federal government. "I'm not ready to give up the sovereign ty of the State of Nebraska," she said. Another concern of Grothe's is that a .constitutional amendment is hard to make adjustments in as the times change. This in flexibility also bothers Proud, and he is concerned about what the long-range effects will be. "A lot of people thought there would never be forced busing, either," Proud said. "But the truth is, you just can't tell what the effect will be -it just depends on court interpretation." Grothe blames this uncertainty on the wording of the amendment. "The wording is so unclear, if we think we're spending a lot of time in courts now, just wait. Every issue is subject to long, drawn-out court cases," she said. The "haunting question," according to Proud, is why do the feminists want a constitutional amendment in the first place, especially such an ambiguous and controversial one? "My conclusion is that they want it be cause most feminist leaders are authors and or professional, white, middle-class women who have it made they've proved they can compete with men. They don't give a hoot about the housewife. Out of foolish pride they want to prove they are the absolute equal of men." Proud said. The situation is "so bad." he said, that one night he was challenged to arm wrestle a woman at a meeting. "Luckily. I put her down, but that's how paranoid they get." he said. Neither Proud nor (irothe think the ERA is going to be ratified by enough states before the March 22, 1979, deadline. However, (irothe pointed out that there has been talk in Congress about extending the deadline. If the I RA is successful, the opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment have no intention of giving in. "If it should pass in the end. there will be more legal hassles." Grother said, point ing out that it will then have to be decided whether the three states including Nebras ka that have rescinded their ratification have that right.
