Some Women Are More Invisible

Written on January 2nd, 2016 in politics Comments Off

Published on ZNet (first on teleSUR english), by Cynthia Peters, Dec 31, 2015.

There are two countries in the world that have no laws mandating paid maternity leave. One is Papua New Guinea. The other is the United States of America.

This was one of the points made by the U.N. Working Group on discrimination against women, which visited the U.S. recently and expressed shock at their findings. After politely acknowledging the U.S.’s commitment to liberty, the report went on to lambaste the government for failing women on many levels, including:  

  • the U.S. ranks 72nd globally in terms of women’s representation in the legislature.
  • working mothers account for two-thirds of household earnings, yet women earn 79 cents for every dollar that men earn.
  • women do the majority of the care-giving work, but many cannot access Family Medical Leave, and those who can, must take the leave without pay.
  • the rate of women’s poverty has increased from 12.1 percent to 14.5 percent, and poverty exposes women to more violence – through homelessness and pressure to stay with abusive partners.

As shocking as these statistics are, the situation is much worse for women of color and poor women. Within the United States, race- and class-based inequalities create countries within the country. Perhaps this is where the U.N. report is most helpful: it exposes the ways that demographics profoundly shape outcomes for women. It is a reminder for why it is essential to bring both a gender lens to our analysis of inequality in the U.S. and simultaneously a race and class lens … //

… The rich may hire nannies, but the task is so undervalued that they pay more to have their dog shampooed. They depend on their nannies (overwhelmingly women and women of color) to accept low pay and scant recognition even as they expect them to open their hearts to the babies in their care. We all know that practically pathological patience is essential to the care of our young, and that is impossible without love, the uncompensated heart-work that the whole society turns to women for, but refuses to recognize or pay us for.

The U.N. report summarizes its findings: “In global context, U.S. women do not take their rightful place as citizens.” Indeed, one of the significant structural impediments to women taking our rightful place as citizens is that much of the work we do is invisible. Wealthy women have the option to buy the supports they need, but that is not “taking a rightful place as a citizen.” Rather it is transferring the invisibility to someone else – not a just solution.

For the majority – women with fewer economic resources and women of color – reproductive work is punishable by increased poverty and even maternal mortality. It’s hard enough to take your rightful place as a citizen when you’re battling poverty. And it’s impossible when you’re dead.

(full text).

Links:

Grab some tissues: Heartwarming stories of 2015, on RT, Dec 31, 2015;

How Long Until a Robot Takes Your Job, on PC, Dec 31, 2015;

Things to look forward to in 2016 – Can Finnish national income work, on The News Hub, Dec 30, 2015;

Should governments give away more money, on Prospect.co.uk, by Tom Streithorst, Dec 30, 2015;

Entrée en vigueur le 1er janvier 2016: des montants des prestations du Régime de pensions du Canada et de la Sécurité de la vieillesse, dans CNW Telbec, Dec 30, 2015;

Deutschland: Das wird 2016 politisch wirklich wichtig, im Spiegel Online, von Christina Hebel und Vera Kämper, 30. Dez 2015;
Spiegel Online Spezial-Seite, alle Artikel und Hintergründe zu: endlich verständlich, von A-Z;

Evolution of US position on Assad’s role in Syria, 2.21 min, uploaded by RT, Dec 21, 2015;

The Mysterious Ancient Kaimanawa Wall Of Aotearoa New Zealand, 7.38 min, uploaded by Brien Foerster, Dec 20, 2015: … The Kaimanawa wall located on the North Island of New Zealand is a real enigma. It does not match any works of the Native Maori people, so could it be older? And who made it?

Why you can not have a Capitalist Democracy – Noam Chomsky 2014, 17.46 min, uploaded by LeighaCohen, Oct 5, 2014;

Color Conscious – Eating the Phytonutrient Rainbow for Good Health, on Doctor Scott Health, May 26, 2014;
on en.wikipedia: Epigallocatechin gallate EGCG, also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid, and is a type of catechin. EGCG, the most abundant catechin in tea, is a polyphenol under basic research for its potential to affect human health and disease. EGCG is used in many dietary supplements;

Regarding search engines and social networks, tailoring your search results using relevance algorithms based on your web history:
as a video: What FACEBOOK And GOOGLE Are Hiding From The World – The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser, 11.44 min, uploaded by Doctor Scott Health, Nov 25, 2013 … an important TED Talk;
as an article: The Filter Bubble – What the Internet is Hiding From You, on Doctor Scott Health, by blog owner, Nov 25, 2013;

… and this:

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