Episodes

  • 5: The Epidemic of Sexual Abuse in Marriage

    5: The Epidemic of Sexual Abuse in Marriage
    Jul 17 2024
    Sexual coercion in marriage is widespread and normalized. In roughly half of marriages, this coercion escalates to abuse.

    Men dismiss women as less sexual, and insist that women should therefore cater to men’s needs. The data suggest otherwise. Women avoid sex with men because men do not offer them sex that is worth having—and because they create abusive environments that destroy sexual desire.

    Men who actually want to have sex should listen to women’s concerns. Instead, they become sexually coercive—apparently more interested in complaining about sex than actually having it.

    In this podcast, Jeff and I talk about the normalization of violence and abuse in marriage, and why a more feminist approach could help everyone enjoy a healthier sex life.

    You can read the data from my sex survey here. I’ll also be doing an update survey in about a month!

    We'll be covering other forms of sexual abuse and dysfunction in subsequent episodes, and welcome your feedback on what you'd like to hear us discuss next.

    All of our main feed podcast episodes are free, but we’ll be releasing a monthly bonus episode to paid Substack and Patreon subscribers. This month’s bonus comes out tomorrow. Subscribing also helps support the podcast so we can do more episodes, gives you access to the Liberating Motherhood support group, includes at least eight extra pieces of content per month, and funds scholarships for those who cannot afford paid subscriptions.

    Subscribe on Substack or Patreon.
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    47 mins
  • 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
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    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.
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    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
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    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/
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    58 mins