Catholic teaching speaks very clearly and strongly about the equality of men and women. “In creating [humans] ‘male and female,’ God gives man and woman an equal personal dignity.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2334). The bishops’ explicit concern for just wages and the fair treatment of women goes back at least 100 years. In a February 12, 1919, statement entitled Programs of Social Construction, the bishops said that “women who are engaged at the same tasks of men should receive equal pay for equal amounts and qualities of work.” Moreover, recent popes like St. John Paul II and Francis have spoken powerfully about the need to do more to address unjust inequities between women and men. That being said, the USCCB has concern about a number of consequences that will arise from the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB’s) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy.