Proposed constitutional amendment to ban discrimination by sex?

The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed in 1972. It said that equal rights under any federal, state, or local law could not be denied because of gender. To become part of the U.S. Constitution, the amendment had to be ratified by 38 states - that is, approved by a statewide vote - but only 35 states ratified it before the deadline, so the amendment did not become law.