Global Gender Inequities: Israel, Chile, US Challenges

In Israel, a coalition of ultra-Orthodox Jews sparks concerns by advocating for sex segregation in public spaces and all-male rabbinical courts. Although the Supreme Court opposes these efforts, a decade has seen increasing normalization of segregation, with incidents like refusing entry to secular women in train cars. Meanwhile, Chile faces regressive abortion restrictions as the Republican party shifts its focus from expanding protections to emphasizing the “life of the unborn child and maternity” in the new constitution.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights alarming mistreatment during pregnancy and childbirth, with women of color, particularly Black and Hispanic women, reporting the worst experiences. Discrimination based on race, age, weight, and income leads to higher maternal mortality rates, disproportionately affecting American Indian and Native Alaskan mothers. The CDC recommends diverse hiring practices, unconscious bias training, and support for doulas and midwives to address these preventable challenges.

–Re-reported from the Blog Post by Noël James, published in Council on Foreign Relations