Ashley Judd Wants to Move to Middle East for More Women’s Rights-Misleading!
Summary of eRumor:
Actress Ashley Judd wants to move to the Middle East and said the U.S. ranks behind countries like Burundi, Serbia and Iraq when it comes to women’s rights.
The Truth:
Rumors that Ashley Judd wants to move to the Middle East and said women enjoy more equal rights there are based on a tweet from March 2017 that has been taken out of context.
Judd was quoting from a USA Today interview with U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, about an equal rights amendment when Judd tweeted, “The U.S. ranks 104th, behind countries like Burundi, Serbia and Iraq.” After reading the article, however, it’s clear that the quote was taken out of context.
Specifically, Judd was quoting a paragraph from the article that cited data indicating that the U.S. ranked 104th in the number of women in governmental leadership roles — not in overall women’s rights, as many have claimed. The full paragraph reads:
The battle is more than symbolic, says Speier, with implications for how gender-based violence and workplace sex discrimination are addressed and litigated; for corporate standards involving accommodations for pregnant women; and for guaranteed access to prenatal care and contraception. It could also force a narrowing of the gender imbalance in top leadership roles. In countries with an equal rights amendment, women are represented in government in greater numbers. The U.S. ranks 104th, behind countries like Burundi, Serbia and Iraq.
Later, Judd tweeted, “Question: are equal rights in the Constitution?” in response to critics of her original tweet who argued that she was an out-of-touch celebrity. That fueled speculation that Judd’s original tweet was about was about women’s rights in general rather than women in leadership roles.
The original claim that the United States ranks 104th in women in governmental leadership roles came from data compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union based on information supplied by 193 countries. By August 2017, the United States’ ranking had improved slightly to 99th overall, behind notables like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rumors that Ashley Judd’s tweet revealed that she wants to move to the Middle East, or had already done so, to enjoy more equal women’s rights resurfaced in September 2017. However, we’re calling the claim misleading on three fronts. First, Judd was quoting from an article and not expressing an original idea. Second, the quote was about the United States ranking 104th in terms of women in governmental leadership positions — not overall women’s rights. Third, Judd never said she wanted to move the Middle East, people made that assumption based on her tweet.