Importance of United States

The United States is one of the few first-world countries that Melinda talks about in the book. On one had, she uses it to show how first-world countries can regress on certain issues that third-world countries are fighting to fix. This includes access to contraceptives which has been a continuous fight in the United States since the nieteenth century. Melinda also uses her experience at Microsoft to talk about women in the workforce because it is separate from the agricultural work in other countries. Most importantly, Melinda points out that the United States is one of seven countries that does not have rules for paid maternal leave. Ultimately, Melinda’s view of the United States’ stance on female empowerment is negative compared to the incredible progress of other countries, and she worries that the country may regress if strong advocates do not continue to fight.