The Feminist Mommies

Mommy Wine Culture has become a part of our culture. Memes depicting women who can't get through the day without a glass of wine are common place. Co-hosts Vanessa and Shannon discuss the stigma of the drinking mom and share their own perspectives of drinking and how it plays a role in connecting with other moms.  

It's a Feminist Mommies hot topic - career versus staying home - but in this episode Feminist Mommies co-hosts Shannon and Vanessa discuss the stigma around career pauses.  Whether you think career pauses are a good or bad thing they are a reality for millions of women (and men) around the world who need to prioritize staying home with kids. Do career pauses equal an end to your once thriving career? Shannon shares her experience with a 2-year career pause and how long it took her to get back into a fulfilling role.

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Feminist Mommies co-hosts Shannon and Vanessa discuss the frustrations and feelings of this landmark decision and how the conservative mindset is gaining momentum across the country.  Shannon shares her perspective as a Californian with roots from Hawaii and Ohio. The U.S may be a country divided but we're still holding out hope for a more equitable future for our daughters.

We love summer! What's better than long days, sunny weather, popsicles and the beach. But summertime is not all rosy for working parents with school-aged kids. When the kids are let out for the summer, what's a working parent to do? Can everyone afford the exorbitant summer camp fees? Can working parents juggle the reduced summer camp hours with their work schedules? Co-hosts Vanessa and Shannon discuss their plans for the summer, how they make it work and look ahead to the new school year.

As women, we have all experienced shame. For many of us, this started early in our lives with the clothes we wear, with our interests, hobbies and activities. But there is even greater shame in motherhood. Society shames women all the time for the choices they make in raising their kids. From pregnancy (the food you eat), to birth (caesarean or vaginal delivery), to feeding your infant (breastfeeding or formula), it seems no matter the choices we make, we will be shamed. Co-hosts Shannon and Vanessa discuss the greatest sources of shame they encountered in motherhood and how we shame each other.

We're back after a long hiatus of school, work and life! We're entering the summer ready and excited to be back recording. This episode was recorded in Feb 2022 and details some of the new sexist experiences we've had in the past few months. From navigating moms who romanticize our kids' relationships, to the old, white male who believes gender identity is not an important topic of conversation, join us, commiserate with us and let's make some change!

Do you consider yourself to be an activist or philanthropist? The rapid digitization of our world has enabled younger generations of kids to be exposed to so many causes beyond our own communities. Along with feminist values, encouraging kids to develop good citizenship and a desire to help others is an important role we play as parents. Co-hosts Vanessa and Shannon discuss how to get started with encouraging an activist mindset, what the right age might be and how our own childhoods have shaped our activism today. 

Please note: This episode was recorded August 2021.

It could certainly be consensus that it's of great importance for society to continue to procreate to continue the human race. So if babies are so important, why is it that those who take care of babies (or children) are devalued by our society? Why are these roles typically filled by women? Why do teachers, nurses, and caregivers receive low wages in many cases? Co-hosts Shannon and Vanessa discuss the unwitting dichotomy of our society's need for these roles but our inability to pay more for them. What's the solution?

Have you ever been at a party or social gathering meeting new people and the common question is always, ‘What do you do for work?’. Or worse yet, instead of asking what you do for work, they ask you what your husband does for work? In our society so driven by patriarchal and hierarchal values, these questions rank and order people and tell us nothing about the quality of someone’s character. And if the latter, it sends the message that women’s accomplishments are not only not interesting but hold no significance in the hierarchy. Has this happened to you? Co-hosts Vanessa and Shannon discuss their experience with this question and why society needs to move away from this rank and order question all together. 

You believe in equality and that everybody should have equal rights & opportunities. You are rooted in the view that women should have the same freedoms and advantages as men. But what is everyone talking about when they say “patriarchy”? What does this term entail and how does it affect society? In this episode, co-hosts Vanessa and Shannon discuss what this term means, where it came from and how it is used in society today. 


Resources from this episode:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jun/22/the-age-of-patriarchy-how-an-unfashionable-idea-became-a-rallying-cry-for-feminism-today