This week, women's health, family health... Plus gender equality and the mother of all scandals in Pakistan.
The Paycheck Fairness Act was defeated in Congress this month, and the question of pay equity and gender equality continues to be unanswered both in the US and many other countries. In the US, President Obama moved the pay equity issue forward by signing an executive order banning retaliation against employees of federal contractors for disclosing or inquiring about their wages. He also signed a Presidential Memorandum instructing the Department of Labor to establish new regulations requiring federal contractors to submit data on compensation paid to employees. One in five American workers are employed by federal contractors...and those contractors are paid $500 billion dollars each year for federal contracts. If the government demands accountability, it's got some clout behind that demand.
Meanwhile, the UN is working on Sustainable Development goals that will replace the Millennium Development Goals after 2015 – and the role of women is taking center stage. But this time, men's role in advancing equal rights and pay for women is being addressed.
In Mozambique, there is a network of organizations called the Men for Change Network which is addressing issues of masculinity, gender equality, health and human rights.
UN Radio's Derrick Mbatha caught up with Julio Langa, the network's coordinator, at a major women's meeting at UN Headquarters.
That report comes to us courtesy of UN radio.
Women, health experts tell us, are the gate keepers for their families' health. And with health care reform comes an increasing emphasis on patients taking the lead in their own health care decisions. For fourteen years, an event in New York's Hudson Valley has been a place for women to learn more about treatments for illness and, increasingly, how to maintain wellness. Dr. Debra Karnasiewicz is an internist, and organizer and founder of the 14th annual Women's Health Expo, coming up in Kingston New York on May 3rd.
Dr. Debra Karnasiewicz is organizer and founder of the 14th annual Women's Health Expo, coming up in Kingston New York on May 3rd. Find out more at womenshealthexpo.com.
Coming up, motherhood in Pakistan is shockingly dangerous... and an audio essay on life after breast cancer.
Every 30 minutes, a young mother in Pakistan dies. It's "The mother of all scandals" – according to obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Shershah Syed. He says the maternal death rate is a scandal. He says it's a scandal that few women in the country have access to emergency obstetric care. More than anything else, he says, it's a scandal that a country which can afford an atomic bomb isn't able to provide basic health care for its citizens.
That reports comes to us courtesy of UNICEF radio.
And finally, a performance piece developed in workshops with breast cancer survivors, and performed by seven cancer survivors. Originally performed at the Women's Cancer Conference held at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida in September 2011, it was adapted for radio by Robin Gordon.
That’s our show for this week. Thanks to Katie Britton for production assistance. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock.
