Throughout the 19th century, feminism played a huge role in society and women's daily lifestyle. Women lived in a very restrictive society and quickly grew tired of being told how they could and could not live their lives. Soon, they all realized that they didn't have to put up with it anymore and that, as a whole, they had enough power to make a change. This is when feminism began to change the role of women in society. Before, women had few or no rights, while men, on the other hand, had full rights. The feminist movement helped give women the right to vote, but even then it was not enough to gain acceptance in the workforce. Their path towards equality and social justice gave them the strength to fight. This was a major victory for the movement, which also included reforms in higher education, the workplace and professions, and health care. Laws protecting sexual assault and child support would be eliminated, and women would now have custody of their children in the event of divorce. Military conscription, exclusively male, was now unconstitutional. Before the law was passed, groups protested against it. The leader of the “Stop ERA Campaign” was a businesswoman named Phyllis Schlafly. Although she had a law degree, she saw beyond the privileges feminists had acquired for her and glorified the traditional roles of American women. She would open her speeches with “I would like to thank my husband for allowing me to be here tonight,” just to taunt the feminists who were listening. She argued that the ERA would bring changes to American women that no one wanted. Despite her protests, feminist leaders went to the legislature and advocated for the ERA, which was approved by the House in 1970, and then in 1972 by the Senate as well. The amendment was ratified by thirty of thirty-eight states in 1973 (Ushistory.org). Before the feminist movement, women were stay-at-home mothers and rarely left the house. They were not independent at all. Times have changed and women are now just as strong. and independent as men. This brought women out of the home and into the workforce, significantly changing the economy. On the other hand, there are still anti-feminists, like Phyllis Schlafly, who believe that women do not need equal pay. that they should depend on men. She recently argued: “Another fact is the influence of hypergamy, which means that women generally choose a partner (husband or boyfriend) who earns more than them for whom men do not have the same preference . a better-paid spouse. ...Suppose the gender pay gap were magically eliminated. If this happened, a simple calculation suggests that half of women would be unable to find what they consider a suitable spouse.”,