The Bitchionary

Every era has its witches. And its bitches.

In this opening arc of Season 2, From Witches to Trad Wives, we trace the long shadow of moral panic around women—from the burning stakes to the culture wars.

Drawing on Becca’s research for her upcoming book on moral panics, we explore how power, purity, and fear shape women’s stories, and why the figure of the “dangerous woman” keeps coming back.

This episode sets the stage, unpacking what a moral panic is, how it works, and why the witch has never really gone away.

Connect with Us!

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries. Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

Sources

Title: Witches, Midwives, & Nurses: A History of Women Healers

Authors: Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English

Publisher: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York

A Quantitative Evaluation of Demographic, Gender and Social Transformation Theories

of the Rise of European Witch Hunting 1300-1500

Author(s): Philip Smith

Source: Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung, 1992, Vol. 17, No. 4 (64)

(1992), pp. 99-127

In which Becca and Lily review the meta-themes of this season, harking back to the word "bitch" and how they relate to it now. We talk about what this podcast has done for us and wonder what it has done for you, if anything. We still want to hear from you! And, we note that this is the last episode of this season while we take a break and regroup for the next one. Are there topics or women you'd like to hear us chat about? If so, contact us!

Connect with Us!

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

Here's our short-mini episode about the Matilda Effect. We're interested in exploring and learning more about women who have been "Matilda Effected" (yes, that's a phrase, we're sure of it). So let us know if there are women out there whose stories you'd like us to explore. We'd love to hear from you!

Sources

Jodi Picoult’s novel ⁠By Any Other Name⁠ (2024)

⁠https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/who-is-shakespeare-emilia-bassano/588076/⁠

⁠https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/was-shakespeare-woman-responses/590851/⁠

⁠https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/first-folio/⁠

⁠https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/13/no-shakespeare-not-jewish-woman-just-genius/⁠

⁠https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/13/frankenstein-at-200-why-hasnt-mary-shelley-been-given-the-respect-she-deserves-⁠

⁠https://womenrefusingtobeerased.org/⁠

Connect with Us!

Patreon:⁠ ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠⁠

Instagram⁠ ⁠@theb.chionary⁠⁠

Substack:⁠ ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts:⁠ ⁠The Bitchionary⁠⁠

Pocketcasts: ⁠https://pca.st/3tebsk24⁠

Blue Sky: ⁠@thebitchionary.com⁠

Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or Lily at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠. 

Is there a stigma against women publishing or getting credit for a discovery? Is there any credibility to the theory that the works of Shakespeare were written, in part, by a woman? Join us in this episode for a discussion about Shakespeare, publishing as women, pen names, and the Matilda Effect. And look out for a short-mini episode to follow this one where we talk a little more deeply about the Matilda Effect. And lastly, let us know if there are women out there whose stories you'd like us to explore. We'd love to hear from you!

Sources

Jodi Picoult’s novel By Any Other Name (2024)

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/who-is-shakespeare-emilia-bassano/588076/

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/was-shakespeare-woman-responses/590851/

https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/first-folio/

https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/13/no-shakespeare-not-jewish-woman-just-genius/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/13/frankenstein-at-200-why-hasnt-mary-shelley-been-given-the-respect-she-deserves-

https://womenrefusingtobeerased.org/

Connect with Us!

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24

Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

Is there a stigma against women publishing or getting credit for a discovery? Is there any credibility to the theory that the works of Shakespeare were written, in part, by a woman? Join us in this episode for a discussion about Shakespeare, publishing as women, pen names, and the Matilda Effect. And look out for a short-mini episode to follow this one where we talk a little more deeply about the Matilda Effect. And lastly, let us know if there are women out there whose stories you'd like us to explore. We'd love to hear from you!

Sources

Jodi Picoult’s novel By Any Other Name (2024)

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/who-is-shakespeare-emilia-bassano/588076/

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/was-shakespeare-woman-responses/590851/

https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/first-folio/

https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/13/no-shakespeare-not-jewish-woman-just-genius/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/13/frankenstein-at-200-why-hasnt-mary-shelley-been-given-the-respect-she-deserves-

https://womenrefusingtobeerased.org/

Connect with Us!

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24

Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5.

In Part Four, we circle back to the movie 9 to 5 and learn a little bit about its making and the ways in which it was used to directly promote and support the 9 to 5 movement and labor union. We'll then wrap up this series by bringing the founders and the movement into the present day.

Connect with Us!

Instagram: ⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24

Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

SOURCES

9 to 5

Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC Films

Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie

By Ellen Cassedy

https://ellencassedy.com/

Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karen

https://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdf

Women in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Change

https://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.

The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor History

By Ellen Cassedy

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-history

https://www.karennussbaum.com/

WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choices

https://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/

https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.

https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awards

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equality

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-convention

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Nussbaum

Why 9 to 5 Still Resonates Today

By Karen Nussbaum

https://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-parton

https://midwestacademy.com/about-us/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaign

https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675

Still Working 9 to 5 (documentary)

This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5.

In Part Three, we do a deep dive into the tactics and tools used by co-founders Ellen Cassedy and Karen Nussbaum as they build the 9 to 5 Movement from a small group of ten women to a national organization, movement, and launch District 925, a union of women by women.

We hope you’ll join us for this entire series of episodes. We found this history to be incredibly inspiring and relevant to this day. The final episode will get into the making of the movie and its impact on the national movement and union.

Connect with Us!

Instagram:⁠⁠@theb.chionary⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458⁠

Patreon:⁠⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠⁠

Substack:⁠⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts:⁠⁠The Bitchionary⁠⁠

Pocketcasts: ⁠https://pca.st/3tebsk24⁠

Blue Sky: ⁠@thebitchionary.com⁠

Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or Lily at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠. 

SOURCES

⁠9 to 5⁠

Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC Films

⁠Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie⁠

By Ellen Cassedy

⁠https://ellencassedy.com/⁠

Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karen

⁠https://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdf⁠

Women in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Change

⁠https://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.⁠

The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor History

By Ellen Cassedy

⁠https://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-history⁠

⁠https://www.karennussbaum.com/⁠

WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choices

⁠https://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/⁠

⁠https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.⁠

⁠https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awards⁠

⁠https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equality⁠

⁠https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-convention⁠

⁠https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/⁠

⁠https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/⁠

⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Nussbaum⁠

Why 9 to 5 Still Resonates Today

By Karen Nussbaum

⁠https://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-parton⁠

⁠https://midwestacademy.com/about-us/⁠

⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaign⁠

⁠https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675⁠⁠Still Working 9 to 5⁠ (documentary)

Note: The audio's a little inconsistent in this one. And Lily had a wicked fever while she was editing it, so bear with us!

This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5.

In Part Two, we meet the two co-founders of the 9 to 5 movement, Ellen Cassedy and Karen Nussbaum and learn about what motivated them to launch this movement and how they went about doing it. We hope you’ll join us for this series of episodes (which will be published every two weeks on Tuesdays!). 

Connect with Us!

Instagram:⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458

Patreon:⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Substack:⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts:⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24

Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

SOURCES

9 to 5

Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC Films

Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie

By Ellen Cassedy

https://ellencassedy.com/

Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karen

https://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdf

Women in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Change

https://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.

The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor History

By Ellen Cassedy

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-history

https://www.karennussbaum.com/

WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choices

https://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/

https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.

https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awards

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equality

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-convention

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Nussbaum

Why 9 to 5 Still Resonates Today

By Karen Nussbaum

https://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-parton

https://midwestacademy.com/about-us/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaign

https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675
Still Working 9 to 5 (documentary)

This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5. In Part One, we talk a little bit about the movie itself and then, in order to frame the issues, we go all the way back to the mid-1800s and the dawn of the women’s movement. We learn a bit about First Wave Feminism and then fast forward to the 1960s and 1970s when American society was in upheaval. Waves of organizing beginning with and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement had people agitating and organizing and pressing for change in an unprecedented fashion. We talk about the Second Wave of Feminism that begins in the mid-1960s and then learn about the social and economic issues roiling the culture and the workplace in the 1970s. All of that context is provided to get us ready for Part 2, in which we will meet the two founders of the 9 to 5 movement, Ellen Cassedy and Karen Nussbaum. We hope you’ll join us for this series of episodes (which will be published every two weeks on Tuesdays!). 

Connect with Us!

Instagram: ⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Pocketcasts:https://pca.st/3tebsk24

Blue Sky:@thebitchionary.com

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at⁠[email protected]⁠. 

SOURCES

9 to 5

Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC Films

Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie

By Ellen Cassedy

https://ellencassedy.com/

Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karen

https://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdf

Women in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Change

https://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.

The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor History

By Ellen Cassedy

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-history

https://www.karennussbaum.com/

WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choices

https://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/

https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.

https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awards

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equality

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-convention

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Nussbaum

Why 9 to 5 Still Resonates Today

By Karen Nussbaum

https://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-parton

https://midwestacademy.com/about-us/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaign

https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675

Still Working 9 to 5 (documentary)

In the final episode of our three-part series about the women of the early labor movements in the US, we learn about Frances Perkins, architect of the New Deal and the first female cabinet member, appointed by FDR before women even had the right to vote. Perkins witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and, in so doing, found her calling to fight for protections for workers. Without her tireless work we would not have the 40-hour work week, social security, overtime pay, and more. We also explore Frances Perkins’ life in the context of her possible queerness. Join us on this episode of The Bitchionary!

Connect with Us!

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠

Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠

Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24

Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.

Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

Sources

https://aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-people/frances-perkins

https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/lectures/FrancesPerkinsLecture.html

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1951-10-29/ed-1/seq-2/

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1933-02-19/ed-1/seq-23/

https://francesperkinscenter.org/learn/her-life/

https://www.nps.gov/places/frances-perkins-house.htm#:~:text=On%20numerous%20occasions%2C%20Perkins%20roomed,for%20the%20next%20twenty%20years.