Americana - 22/11/2009

Matt Frei presents an insider guide to the people and the stories shaping America today. Combining location reports with lively discussion and exclusive interviews, the show provides new and surprising insights into contemporary America. As Sarah Palin kicks off her book tour around the nation, Americana takes time to learn more about the women that represent America as well as the women who work each day to make it run. Although females account for over 50 per cent of the population, women in the United States are under-represented in the halls of Congress and the boardrooms of corporate America. Matt Frei talks to National Public Radio's senior news analyst Cokie Roberts. She's the author of the best-selling book We Are Our Mothers' Daughters, and helps to highlight the week's top news as well as the many views and characterizations of women's lives in the United States. Matt Frei talks with Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez of California and Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee about the challenges of working in positions of political power and representing diverse constituencies. American women from around the nation weigh in on the challenges of the glass ceiling or lack thereof.