From the time Representative Daniel R. Anthony Jr. introduced it in Congress to its final 1982 ratification deadline, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) served as a subject for much debate. The ERA never passed, but issues of gender inequality still exist today. This thesis aims to utilize the experience of the failed ERA to develop a new approach to addressing contemporary women's issues. First, in analyzing reasons why the states never ratified the amendment, this research relies on historical records, editorial pieces from 1923-1982, the time in which political leaders debated the ERA, and previous academic journal articles about the ERA. Next, it combines this information on the original ERA with research on modern women's rights issues, some of which had existed during the initial ERA debate but politicians and the media had overlooked. Finally, the thesis uses this information to propose a new Equal Rights Amendment that addresses modern women's issues and older issues ignored by the original ERA. Together, this research combines the problems of a previous policy with contemporary issues to develop a new equal rights policy.