Editor's note: Lisa Baldez is associate professor of government
at Dartmouth College. Her next book, "Defying Convention: The
United States, the United Nations, and the Treaty on Women's
Rights," will be published by Cambridge University Press in
2014. (CNN) -- From the 50th anniversary this year of Betty
Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique'' to the recent PBS documentary
"Makers: Women Who Make America'' that featured Gloria Steinem
and scores more women, it's easy to assume that the United
States is at the forefront of women's rights. But we're not.
Even as the rest of the world celebrates International Women's
Day on Friday --- not much of a holiday here --- the United
States will also stand out as one of the few countries yet to
ratify a major United Nations treaty designed to bring equality
to women everywhere. Critics of the U.N.'s Convention to
Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, known as
CEDAW, say it doesn't reflect American values enough. Here's
what they are missing: The treaty takes