#201 Rocky Talk - Standing Alone: Why the U.S. Rejects Global Norms on Women’s Rights Rocky Talk

Guest Lisa Baldez, Professor of Government and Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies, Dartmouth College

Nearly every country across the globe has ratified the U.N. treaty on women’s rights. Most of the world’s constitutions formally guarantee equality between men and women. Gender quotas for women candidates are found in every region of the world. The United States enjoys none of these mechanisms. Opponents often claim that women in the United States already have ‘enough’ legal rights and don’t need treaties, an ERA, or help getting elected to political office. As the U.S. celebrates the centennial of woman suffrage, this panel asks, why does the U.S. stand alone, and would these mechanisms further gender equality in the United States? Working from their expertise in political science, sociology, and the law, our panelists reflect on the causes and consequences of U.S. “exceptionalism” in following global women’s rights norms.

Interview by Dartmouth student Shawdi Mehrvarzan '22. Edited by Laura Hemlock. Music: Debussy Arabesque no 1. Composer: Claude Debussy