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1.26.15: The Secret History Of Women In The Senate & An Argument For Paid Maternity Leave

Brady-Handy Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)

Male-only swimming pools, too few bathrooms, inappropriate sexual comments: On today’s show the secret--and not so honorable--history of women in the U.S. Senate.

Then, common wisdom tells us that half of marriages end in divorce. Turns out, the oft-quoted number is wrong. We’ll debunk the pervasive divorce rate myth. And, we’ll take an unfiltered look at the state of family and maternity leave in America.

Listen to the full show and click Read more for individual segments.

The Secret History of Women in the Senate

WOM01262015A.mp3
The Secret History of Women in the Senate

International Pressures, Domestic Pain

  • In 1922, 15 American women traveled to France to participate in the first international track meet for women. While they may not have had the backing of the country, they made great strides towards women’s equality in sports. BackStory producer Kelly Jones brings us this story.
  • You can listen to this segment again at PRX.org.

Lack of Paid Maternity Leave in the U.S.

  • Judith Barnett is a former senior government official and now a lawyer and consultant in international trade. She considers America’s unwillingness to provide women time off to have children an outrage and wrote about it for the Huffington Post. "An American Outrage: Having Babies on Sick Leave."
WOM01262015C.mp3
Lack of Paid Maternity Leave in the U.S.

Capturing That Once in a Life Time Photo

  • Rebecca Sheir brings us the story of a photographer on the front lines of childbirth.
  • You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.

The Divorce Rate Myth

WOM01262015E.mp3
The Divorce Rate Myth

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