(MintPress) – It came and went with little impact, little change – but its occurrence on the calendar could not have come at a more symbolic time in the United States. International Women’s Day signified the celebration and respect of women across the globe for economic, political and social achievements. But the political landscape in the U.S. has suggested little in the celebration of women and renewed criticism of women’s health.
The issue of where women stand today in America could be symbolized by what has not been done for women, rather than what has. That’s not to say what has been said and done to women is not controversial. Recently, legislators in America have brought women’s health issues such as abortion and birth control to the forefront.
And respect for women? That seems to have failed to catch on as well. Rush Limbaugh has been in hot water for his hate speech against Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown graduate student who he called a “slut” and “prostitute” after her testimony in front of Congress where she supported contraception coverage for women.
In 2011, states enacted a record number of abortion laws, restricting a constitutionally-protected right for women to seek an abortion. Recently, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said he believes employers should be allowed to deny paying for women’s contraception and other health care coverage for moral reasons, even though most insurers will cover erectile dysfunction drugs and vasectomies for men.
Loretta Ross of SisterSong – an organization that attempts to ensure reproductive justice for women of color – told Democracy Now! that women have become voiceless in the legislative process dictating women’s health.
“Republican legislators really didn’t want to hear from women, they didn’t want to pay attention and presumed that they could tell us what to do with our bodies again,” Ross said.
A history of restrictions
Current issues spanning women’s rights and health seem slightly dated when looking back into history. The U.S. has a history of being unwilling to order equal rights for both men and women. In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment was proposed with the intention of seeing that men and women both have equal rights under the law.
Initial sections of the amendment are as follows:
Section 1: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2: The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3: This Amendment shall take affect two years after the date of ratification.
Currently, 35 states have signed on to ratify the law, but 38 states are necessary to invoke the possibility that the law have the potential to become the 28th amendment. It has remained stagnant since its inception.
The U.S. has also faced criticism for failing to ratify an international agreement that has already been ratified by 186 nations across the globe. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) aims to “make a difference for women and girls, specifically to reduce sex trafficking & domestic violence, provide access to education & vocational training, ensure the right to vote, end forced marriage & child marriage, help mothers and families by providing access to maternal health care and to ensure the right to work & own a business without discrimination.”
CEDAW was passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and was signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. However, the U.S. has failed to ratify the treaty in its own borders.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the agreement should have been ratified long ago and that its failure to reach vote in Congress is disappointing.
“The CEDAW treaty [is] the most authoritative UN negotiated treaty to protect women around the world from discrimination. The United States signed this agreement in 1980. It is past time that we became a party to this convention.”
Global benefits
A clear example of how the U.S. differs from other countries around world in regards to women’s rights and benefits can be illustrated with the issue of maternity leave. In the U.S., federal law requires that men and women both receive three months of maternity leave, but the law states that there is no requirement that any portion of the leave is paid.
Contrast that with nearly every other country around the world, and it becomes clear that the U.S. is a bit of an enigma with maternity leave. Nation Public Radio (NPR) reported in 2011 that nearly every other country around the world offers up longer maternity leaves that are either partially or completely paid.
Sweden offers up to 480 days of time off, with the first 390 days providing 80 percent of the mother’s previous compensation – after that, the compensation falls to a flat rate. In Norway, mothers can choose a maternity option that would allot them 46 or 56 weeks off. AT 46 weeks off, mothers receive 100 percent compensation; at 56 weeks, they receive 80 percent.
The U.S. offers less in terms of maternity leave than China, Papua New Guinea, and Lesotho, an enclave in South Africa, countries that struggle with human rights abuses.