Equal Means Equal

Director Kamala Lopez uses the U.S. Constitution as a prism to examine how American women do not receive equal protection under the law. An actress, Lopez also serves here as narrator, beginning with a look at wage discrimination, which occurs in almost every field. Martha Burk, co-founder of the Center for the Advancement of Public Policy, believes that the United States is actually moving backwards, because the ratio hasn't changed in a decade even as men's wages have declined. Lopez cites Walmart as an example, where female workers weren't paid at the same rate, and employee Betty Dukes filed a lawsuit that Gloria Steinem calls the "biggest sex discrimination suit in history." As in similar cases, the plaintiff won in the lower courts, but lost at the Supreme Court level. Steinem and others believe that the problem lies with the Constitution itself, since it doesn't take into account women (who wouldn't be granted the right to vote until 1920). Despite support from the public and the executive branch in the 1970s and 1980s, the landmark Equal Rights Act did not receive enough state support and still remains un-ratified. Lopez also looks at the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault (noting that many women do not receive the support they need in terms of prevention and medical care), pregnancy discrimination, and sex trafficking. While there is useful information here, the alarmist tone and disturbing imagery are sometimes overwhelming, and some topics (such as women in poverty) fail to receive the attention they deserve. Still, this eye-opening documentary should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)