Episodios

  • Government: Predator or Benefactor?

    Government: Predator or Benefactor?
    Aug 28 2025

    How do YOU view the government? Does it have a role in ensuring protections or enforcing rights? Does it handicap our lives with wasteful inefficiencies and rules? Does it help you - or do you think it only helps others? Whatever you think, you probably have good reasons for those beliefs. Which we get! In this episode, we peek into why and how we develop our attitudes about the government - and how listening to one another might just help us all thrive more.

    Resources:

    A look at small businesses in the U.S. A Bipartisan Nation of Beneficiaries | Pew Research Center Invisible Women | Caroline Criado Perez
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    28 m
  • Why Don't More Women in America Get Elected to Political Office?

    Why Don't More Women in America Get Elected to Political Office?
    Aug 14 2025

    Out of 50 states in the US, women hold 13 governorships, 28% of Congress, and have never been elected President. The US is 53rd in the world in political gender parity. This is 2025, so really, why is this? And does it even matter - do we really need equal representation in elected offices? In this episode, we look at the social forces at work (who is a leader?) as well as some pragmatic impediments. And yes, it does matter. Bonus: we talk about our deep-seated expectations of who should be in charge.

    Resources:

    Women Support Harris, but the American Presidency Remains a Male Bastion | The Fuller Project The 119th Congress: Some history makers, but fewer women overall - The 19th Americans tend to elect the tallest person for president - here's how the 2020 candidates would fare | The Independent Pragmatic bias impedes women’s access to political leadership | PNAS
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    28 m
  • Civic Rights Not for Women Only

    Civic Rights Not for Women Only
    Aug 1 2025

    The League of Women Voters sounds like it comes from another era, like maybe that time of Victorian dresses festooned with "VOTES FOR WOMEN" sashes. Well, it sorta does. And yet it's still here today, more meaningful than ever. Today we talk with Terri Kondos, the Manatee County League Voter Services Chair. Terri spent 38 years with the Department of Defense in intelligence and national security, but her current beat is voter rights and information.

    So, did you know the League publishes voter services guides on national AND local issues? And that they are ALWAYS non-partisan, and never advocate for any candidate? They're here for all of us! After you listen to Terri, sign up for the August 26 Women's Equality Day event in Sarasota - free and open to all. Sign-up link below.

    Resources: League of Women Voters League of Women Voters of Manatee County League of Women Voters of Sarasota County Gender Differences in Voter Turnout Sign up for August 26th - link! Vote 411
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    30 m
  • Who's Having Babies

    Who's Having Babies
    Jul 23 2025

    Are people having the families they want? Why or why not? And are women really to blame for low fertility rates? A new report surveyed 14,000 people in 14 countries to really understand what is happening and why fertility rates are dropping all over. The findings may surprise some policy makers who are struggling to identify incentives for families, but really shouldn't surprise any of us. Spoiler: people want MORE children! Take a listen.

    Resources:

    Not Just More Babies: These Republicans Want More Parents at Home UNFPA report links falling birth rates to cost of living, sexist norms, fear of the future Link report, videos from report Opinion | A Bold Idea to Raise the Birthrate: Make Parenting Less Torturous - The New York Times Americans' Preference for Larger Families Highest Since 1971 The Impossibly High Cost of Childcare – Women's eNews
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    28 m
  • When DOES life begin? The Law Has Opinions

    When DOES life begin? The Law Has Opinions
    Jul 7 2025
    As part of our continuing series on 'when life begins - the surprising history of conception' we talk with Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Spahn about the surprising history of legal views on conception -when life begins- and it's probably not what you think. There is so much political talk about women having babies these days - whether they have too many or not enough - that is seemed essential to see how our society came to it's current understandings about conception. Resources: Elizabeth Spahn: law review article State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy | Guttmacher Institute
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    31 m
  • Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare, and the Big Beautiful Bill

    Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare, and the Big Beautiful Bill
    Jun 20 2025
    Medicaid, SNAP, and Medicare are some of our largest domestic benefits programs. Eligibility is not gender-specific. Yet someone they affect women differently. We don't know whether or not these programs will be changed in the final version of the Big Beautiful Bill, but we do know who uses them and why. Get your facts here. Resources:  Women's Health Insurance Coverage | KFF Gender and Racial Justice in SNAP House Republicans’ Big, ‘Beautiful’ Bill Would Make Health Care More Expensive for Americans With Medicare and Other Insurance Where We Stand: Retirement Security – AAUW Allocating CBO’s Estimates of Federal Medicaid Spending Reductions and Enrollment Loss Across the States | KFF US women are paying billions more for healthcare than men every year Florida Closing the Benefit Gap to Advance Women’s Health Equity | Deloitte US SNAP Helps Millions of Low-Income Seniors | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities House Reconciliation Bill Proposes Deepest SNAP Cut in History, Would Take Food Assistance Away From Millions of Low-Income Families Current Numbers Medicaid | Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Parts of Medicare Distribution of Medicare Beneficiaries by Sex | KFF
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    29 m
  • Embryos, Petri Dishes, IVF

    Embryos, Petri Dishes, IVF
    Jun 17 2025
    As part of our continuing series on 'when life begins - the surprising history of conception' we talk with Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Spahn about the surprising history of the scientific understanding of conception - when life begins. And, spoiler alert, how we all get started is not what we were taught in high school biology class. There is so much political talk about women having babies these days - whether they have too many or not enough - that is seemed essential to see how our society came to the current understandings. Plus..... there's a nightclub involved. Elizabeth Spahn: law review article State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy | Guttmacher Institute
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    31 m
  • What's in a name? The SAVE Act

    What's in a name? The SAVE Act
    May 19 2025

    85% of all American women change their names at the time of marriage. If passed, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act could disenfranchise these women because their current legal name does not match the name on their birth certificate. How could this be? Why would we want to do this? Note: the SAVE act has passed the US house and is moving to the Senate, so keep your eye on this one.

    Resources:

    A Tradition Going Strong: Brides Who Take Their Husbands’ Names - The New York Times 9 Things to Know About the Proposed SAVE Act Mrs Man: Why do women take their husbands' surnames? SAVE Act Explained: Americans will need these documents to vote — Or be turned away
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    27 m