Monday, December 21, 2015: UN Working Group's Myth-Shattering Tour of US

"There is a myth in America that...US women have it all."

South Texas family lock-up.

The United Nations recently sent a team of experts to the US to look at the state of women's rights. They described the inequities they found as shocking and in several key respects far worse than other developed countries, worse even than in some developing countries.  We talk with Frances Raday, a member of that delegation and a legal expert in international human rights and women's rights.

The team visited Alabama, Oregon, Texas and DC. They found that women in the US are deprived of human rights in four vital areas:
1. Maternity leave. 14 weeks of paid maternity leave is required by international human rights law.
2. Accessibility to reproductive health care for the termination of pregnancy.
3. Representation of women in government.
4. Unemployment and the wage gap.

Frances RADAY is a member of the Working Group on Discrimination against women in law and in practice. She assumed her function on 1st May 2011. She is a former member of CEDAW. Professor Raday is currently the Director of the Concord Research Centre for Integration of International Law in Israel at Haim Striks Law School, Colman. She is Professor Emerita, Hebrew University, Lieberman Chair for Labour Law; Honorary Professor, University College London; and Doctor Honoris, University of Copenhagen. She has additionally held academic appointments at Oxford Univ., Univ. of S.California, Tulane Univ. and Univ. of East Africa. Ms. Raday is the author of numerous academic books and articles on human rights, labour law and feminist legal theory. She has acted as legal counsel on precedent-setting human rights cases in Israel’s Supreme Court, including advancing women’s constitutional right to equality in political representation, participation in religious ceremony, religious court procedures and divorce, and combatting employment discrimination, in retirement age, sexual harassment and promotion.

Click here to listen to entire show. 59:49 mim.

Also on today's show:
Starhawk's City of Refuge & Solstice Celebration
Annual Kung Pao Kosher Comedy