women's rights

Hi Maggie,

The big story of today is about three women who visited the US. They were a UN delegation, and they spent ten days here, visiting Texas, Alabama and Oregon, specifically looking at the way our country treats women. Reportedly, they were horrified.

The women were all human rights experts.  One was from Poland, one from the UK, and the third from Costa Rica.

Rereading the article, I see they were appalled!

Women in the US live with a 23% gender pay gap...we knew that...poor maternity leave and child care benefits, are 11 times more likely to be killed by guns, of course, but mostly at the hands of an intimate partner - you know, that guy who owns you.

What really surprised them is that we have no idea life is better in other countries.  The women they talked to had the attitude of,  "Prove it."

I knew.

When I started my job, and starting interacting with people around the world, I was shocked to discover 6 weeks of paid vacation, up to three years of paid maternity leave, free health care, legal protection for workers.

By the time my daughter-in-law called me, sobbing, saying that if she lived anywhere else in the world, she would not be forced to leave her infant and return to work - I knew.  She was right.

But I think this is part of the fish living in dirty water, thinking it's normal, never realizing other live in air, and sometimes it is clean air!

But we have been told that we are free so many times, we believe.  We have been told that everyone else wants to come here, live here, be just like us, so many times that we believe it.  I think maybe we have so few paid vacation days on purpose.  It keeps us close to home, so we don't go and find out that a country can offer universal free health care and not collapse.

The delegation visited an abortion clinic and were shocked at the terrorists that threatened them, even though each is beyond child-bearing age.  They feel religious freedom is not the freedom to terrorize.  What an interesting idea!!

So what do we do? It all ties together.  It seems like someone could have fun with this...but my brain has not come up with anything yet...

Anyway, this is where my focus is tonight.

Hope all is well with you,

Love and hugs from Clare




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/foreign-women-assess-us-gender-equality_566ef77de4b0e292150e92f0