Tara A. Trower : May 3, 2011
Every year Save the Children releases its rankings on maternal welfare around the world near Mother’s Day. Yes, this is the same group that asks you to send money to impoverished nations to keep children from dying of malnutrition or as a result of poor access to health care.
The rankings were more nuanced than I expected: They do not bother trying to compare the United States to Chad, where the average income is about $1,600 a year.
However, the U.S. still ranks 31st among the world’s 43 wealthiest nations. What gives? It’s more than the fact that we only guarantee 12 weeks of unpaid leave for new mothers (the least generous of any industrialized nation):
— Our rate for maternal death is 1 in 2,100, the highest of any industrialized nation. A woman in the United States is 7 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than a woman in Ireland, and 15 time more likely than a woman in Greece, according to the report.
— The mortality rate for children under 5 in the U.S. is pretty uninspiring also— 8 deaths per 1,000 live births. That’s the same as Latvia.
But, there are far more challenging places to raise children. At the bottom of the overall list? Afghanistan.
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/mamadrama/entries/2011/05/03/great_places_to_be_a_mom_maybe.html?cxntfid=blogs_mama_drama
Every year Save the Children releases its rankings on maternal welfare around the world near Mother’s Day. Yes, this is the same group that asks you to send money to impoverished nations to keep children from dying of malnutrition or as a result of poor access to health care.
The rankings were more nuanced than I expected: They do not bother trying to compare the United States to Chad, where the average income is about $1,600 a year.
However, the U.S. still ranks 31st among the world’s 43 wealthiest nations. What gives? It’s more than the fact that we only guarantee 12 weeks of unpaid leave for new mothers (the least generous of any industrialized nation):
— Our rate for maternal death is 1 in 2,100, the highest of any industrialized nation. A woman in the United States is 7 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than a woman in Ireland, and 15 time more likely than a woman in Greece, according to the report.
— The mortality rate for children under 5 in the U.S. is pretty uninspiring also— 8 deaths per 1,000 live births. That’s the same as Latvia.
But, there are far more challenging places to raise children. At the bottom of the overall list? Afghanistan.
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/mamadrama/entries/2011/05/03/great_places_to_be_a_mom_maybe.html?cxntfid=blogs_mama_drama
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