I'm a Republican, and I support the equal rights amendment

Kathy Beard is a Republican candidate for the 22nd District in the Delaware House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, an Equal Rights Amendment to the Delaware Constitution failed to pass the Delaware Senate. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the legislation is that it does not already exist.  

While the Delaware Constitution includes four paragraphs about bingo games, a simple statement that states “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged on account of the sex of the person” does not exist.

Gains in political equality are relatively recent. The 19th Amendment, which allowed women to vote, initially did not pass the Delaware Legislature – only passing in 1923, once it had gone into effect.  

Historically, the effort to pass the guarantee of equal rights was led by Republicans. Gov. John Townsend and the du Pont family, who championed the passage of women’s suffrage, were Republicans. Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and Florence Wood Hanby, the first woman elected to Delaware’s General Assembly, were both Republicans.

I believe it is essential for Republicans to remain an important voice for gender equality. 

Equal rights for women should include eliminating the gender pay gap. In Delaware, the average white woman working full time is paid 89 percent of what a man in an equivalent job is paid. The gap increases for black and Latina women.  

These statistics are disappointing — and as a Republican woman, I believe salaries should be based on hard work and talent, rather than influenced by gender. Women’s health care premiums and home down payment requirements are not 89 percent of what a man would pay.  

Nearly 50,000 Delaware families with children under 18 are headed by women. Well-paying jobs, paid equally, are essential for women to raise their children and contribute to the economy.

I was glad to see that Mike Ramone and Deborah Hudson, in my neighboring districts, were sponsors of a Delaware Equal Rights Amendment. In the 2018 election, there are a record number of women running for local Delaware seats — in my own race, there are three declared women candidates.  

The fact that three representative races may have women running on both the Republican and Democratic tickets demonstrates progress and widespread agreement that women should have an equal voice.  

On issues relating to gender equality, both parties need to work together. If elected in November, I will be working to pass an amendment that ensures that the state of Delaware cannot discriminate against women.