Episodes

  • 4: The nightmare of childbirth in a patriarchy

    4: The nightmare of childbirth in a patriarchy
    Jul 3 2024
    Bringing life into the world should be a source of immense power--and often, it is. But in a patriarchy, we endeavor to destroy women's power. This is why patriarchy has turned childbirth into a dangerous, traumatic nightmare. Learn about the state of childbirth, and what you can do to push back--and why it's a partner's obligation to protect and support the person giving birth.

    Zawn and Jeff have extensive professional and personal experience with this issue. With their first baby, they had to navigate a sudden change in hospital policy designed to prevent them from having the natural birth Zawn wanted. Their second baby died at birth, and a postpartum hemorrhage nearly claimed Zawn’s life, too. And with their third, the intersection of trauma and a complicated birth required lots of advocacy in a system that often punishes such behavior.

    Zawn runs a small nonprofit devoted to defending the rights of all people who give birth. And as a civil rights attorney specializing in police and prison abuses, Jeff has seen the worst of how our criminal justice system abuses pregnant people.

    In this episode, we give a broad overview of the issue, and will discuss other angles in more detail in subsequent episodes. We also give some general tips for advocacy in a broken system.

    Readers may find the following links helpful for framing and understanding the discussion:

    • Men, not hormones, are the leading cause of postpartum depression

    • You’re Wrong About Postpartum Depression

    • 8 Shocking Statistics About Abuse and Mistreatment of People in Labor

    • Doctors are examining the vaginas of unconscious women without their consent

    • 10 things you need to know about Georgia’s maternal mortality crisis
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 23 mins
  • 3: How bad is heterosexual marriage for women?

    3: How bad is heterosexual marriage for women?
    Jun 19 2024
    Why is it that we respond to proposals and weddings with joy rather than terror? We know that men are the biggest public health threat to women, and that most marriages are inequitable and unhappy. Yet patriarchy promotes this disconnect. Learn why in this episode.
    Show more Show less
    44 mins
  • 2: Household labor inequity as a key feminist issue

    2: Household labor inequity as a key feminist issue
    Jun 5 2024
    View some of Zawn's surveys on household labor inequity here: https://zawn.substack.com/t/surveys
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • 1: Episode 1: Why are men so angry at their partners?

    1: Episode 1: Why are men so angry at their partners?
    May 22 2024
    Men are angry at their partners. But why, in a world where women are already doing a disproportionate share of relational, household, and parenting labor, do men feel so disenfranchised?

    Follow Zawn at zawn.substack.com or https://www.facebook.com/zawnv/
    Show more Show less
    58 mins