The mental health implications of sex discrimination as considered by the Subpanel on the Mental Health of Women of the President's Commission of Mental Health are discussed. The status of women's mental health and the problems of women in the mental health delivery system are considered in relation to the larger societal context. Prevention of mental health problems through attention to the societal institutions and norms that reinforce women's powerlessness and second-class status is emphasized. Carefully conceived national strategies for the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental illness are reviewed in terms of basic goals, including eradication of sexism and racism of the larger society. The devastating consequences of women's disadvantaged status are presented as a powerful argument for ERA ratification, and are considered to serve as an ethical mandate for mental health professionals to work actively for the passage of the ERA. The affirmative duty of professional organizations to defend the human rights and dignity of their members by supporting the Equal Rights Amendment is underscored. (Author)