ALL EPISODES
We've heard a lot about making things easier for families this election season, but the cost of childcare is still higher than college tuition in some states. Vivien Labaton has founded an advocacy organization called Make it Work to influence policies in support of paid family leave, equal pay and affordable childcare. She shares her personal story of growing up with a single dad, and what she experienced when her own child was born.
VIVIEN LABATON
BARBARA ORTIZ HOWARD
Do you remember the $1 coins featuring Susan B. Anthony? That coin is now out of print-- and we've never had a woman on our paper currency. Barbara Ortiz Howard has taken issue with this and formed an organization called Women on 20s to advocate for a woman on our $20 bill. They petitioned President Obama and met with Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew and Treasurer Rosie Rios to ensure that their voices were heard--and that "a woman's place is on the money." She shares what happened next in this conversation.
For the latest on who's on the money, visit the Department of the Treasury's site.
It's been 43 years since the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v Wade decision gave women the legal right to end a pregnancy as a matter of privacy. And yet since the case was released in 1973, it has remained one of the most polarizing, politicized and continually challenged issues in America. My guest Ilyse Hogue is the President of NARAL Pro Choice America, formed in 1969 as an advocacy group to expand--and now protect-- reproductive freedom. Listen to our conversation on iTunes or NPR One.
ILYSE HOGUE
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Coined the "crazy woman's disease" by some of those who have had it--or the "career woman's disease" by those who have attempted to diagnose it--it's been outed by celebrities like Padma Lakshmi, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, and Lena Dunham who have all experienced the effects of it. And if you have a daughter or a niece, the odds are that you know someone with it. Yet it typically takes 8 doctors and 10 years to be properly diagnosed, resulting in years of pain, depression and loss of productivity, often starting in the teen years. Filmmaker Shannon Cohn says after breast cancer, it's "the last great health taboo" and has made a film called "Endo-What?" to change the narrative around Endometriosis and help women and healthcare practitioners understand and treat the disease.
SHANNON COHN
It's been over 40 years since the Ms. Foundation for women was formed to help women and girls. Yet many groups still feel excluded from the feminist movement. Teresa shares how feminism can be a value everyone can share--across races, sexuality, and economics.
Read Lauren's edited and condensed Q&A with Teresa in the Ms. Blog.
TERESA YOUNGER
Meet actress and comedian Katie Goodman, whose YouTube video "Sorry Babe, You're a Feminist" went viral when it touched a nerve with both men and women. Her videos are hilarious commentaries on culture and politics. She is a writer, performer, teacher of improv, and children's book author.
KATIE GOODMAN
Writer, activist, and social entrepreneur Gloria Steinem has been the face of the women's movement since many of us were born, and she is still advocating on our behalf. She founded Ms. Magazine and the Ms. Foundation and has won many awards for her journalism. In 2013 Ms. Steinem received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. She has also written a number of books...Including her latest, "My Life on the Road."
Ms. Steinem and I spoke about her new book, the influence of her dad on her life, and the best retort she ever learned. Plus she shares her advice on how to start a movement, and hypothesizes on why it's been so hard for some to picture a woman in the White House.
GLORIA STEINEM
PHOTO BY ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
The poverty level for American families has hovered at 25% for decades, in spite of billions of dollars spent. This week, we speak with Mia Birdsong of Family Story, who offers a new perspective--redefine the definition of a 'traditional family.' And my guest Pam Scott is a philanthropist who brings her corporate experience to sub-Saharan Africa: using human-centered design to reduce unwanted teen pregnancy from 50% to a 'new normal.' Learn more about this topic at PSI.org.
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Public Assistance does not cover the cost of diapers--as a result, nearly 30% of mothers report a time when they couldn’t afford diapers for their children. Our guest Lisa Truong started Help A Mother Out to increase access to diapers for families in need. And this Fall, she was awarded a grant from the city of San Francisco to establish and operate the San Francisco diaper bank, making it the first city in the nation to offer public assistance for diapers.
If you'd like to help a mother during this season of giving, donations can be made at helpamotherout.org.
LISA TRUONG
The causes of cancer seem to be everywhere. From makeup products, to the clothes we wear, and the furniture we buy. And even if it has a pink ribbon on it to support breast cancer awareness, Karuna Jaggar of Breast Cancer Action says it's very possible that the contents are cancer-causing. And when it comes to fossil fuels, our guest Dr. Sandra Steingraber says our "regulatory system is deaf to the voice that the data has and the message it's trying to give." You can view the latest compendium from Concerned Health Professionals of NY here.
Find out how these two women are changing the status quo. Fighting the Cause of Cancer. That's our Inflection Point.
DR. SANDRA STEINGRABER, BIOLOGIST/ADVOCATE
KARUNA JAGGAR, BREAST CANCER ACTION