The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO)

In a special four-part series, we talk to women on the front lines of the climate crisis, including the Paris climate agreement’s chief negotiator, land and wildlife conservationists, and regenerative agriculture experts. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by Daughters for Earth.

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This week, we’re bringing you an episode from the award-winning podcast Face-Off: The U.S. vs China. 

China’s leader, Mao Zedong famously said that “Women hold up half the sky.” But these days it doesn’t feel that way in China. Unfair marriage rules, difficulties getting a divorce, barriers to owning property and many more restrictions are challenging women to speak out, and act. On this episode, “Feminist Rebels,” we’ll hear about the Chinese “leftover women” who are veering from the traditional path and about the Chinese feminists of today.

Guest: Leta Hong Fincher, author, Left Over Women.

Recommended Books:

Left Over Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China by Leta Hong Fincher

Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen

Sound design, original score, mixing and mastering by Rowhome Productions. Rowhome’s Creative Director is Alex Lewis. John Myers is Rowhome’s Executive Producer.

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The Threshold is a new seven-part series from Foreign Policy about the fight to end infectious diseases around the world. In this episode, the team investigates what it will take to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic – including Lenacapavir, a new twice-yearly HIV prevention shot. Similar to HERO, The Threshold is made possible in part through funding from the Gates Foundation. 
If you like this episode, follow The Threshold wherever you get your podcasts.

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Let’s face it: It’s been a challenging year for family planning and reproductive rights more broadly. What can we do from here? 

We were eager to catch up with family planning leaders at Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In a live panel discussion, host Reena Ninan spoke with Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director of FP2030 and a return guest to the show. Dr. Dube described their Made Possible by Family Planning campaign and how they have shifted their messaging since we last caught up with her in spring 2024. Dr. Dube was also joined by George Roberts, Bayer’s global lead of impact partnerships, as well as Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases for the Indonesia Ministry of Health. They shared how the private and public sectors are approaching family planning at this time. 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a production of Foreign Policy, with support for this episode from FP2030’s Made Possible by Family Planning campaign.

Guests and organizations:

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In this special bonus episode, we explore a topic the show hasn’t covered before: menopause. We delve into what would need to change with healthcare and the workforce to better support women through menopause, as well as the economic factors that could enable those policies. 

Host Reena Ninan speaks with Dr. Jessica Shepherd, gynecologist and author of the new book Generation M, Dr. Claus Runge, Bayer’s chief health equity officer, and Kathryn Schubert, President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR). This live panel discussion was recorded at Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.  

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a production of Foreign Policy, with support for this episode from Bayer. (Photo credit: Jonathan Heisler)

Guests and organizations:

Suggested reading:

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This week, we’re bringing you an episode of What Could Go Right from our friends at The Progress Network.

Each Wednesday on What Could Go Right, hosts Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas converse with diverse experts to have sharp, honest conversations about what’s going on in the world, even during difficult times. In this episode, they dive into the global health crisis that doesn’t get nearly enough attention - tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world, yet it has been largely ignored by wealthy nations and Big Pharma. One person who refuses to let that stand is #1 New York Times bestselling author, YouTuber, and activist John Green. His new book, Everything is Tuberculosis, explores the history, science, and injustices surrounding this disease. 

Tune in to new episodes of What Could Go Right every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t miss the Friday episodes where Emma and Zachary highlight the latest progress from around the globe.

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This week, we’re sharing another show you might like. Cramped is a podcast created and hosted by Kate Downey, “because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus.”

In this episode, Kate talks to her mom about joining the Boston Women's Health Movement in the 1970s. Why was body literacy such a big part of feminism in the 70s, but when Kate became an active feminist in Boston in the 2000s, she didn't get information about body literacy? To learn more, Kate talks to Laura Prieto, program director of Our Bodies, Ourselves.

Listen to more episodes of Cramped here: https://www.katehelendowney.com/cramped

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While the show is on hiatus, we want to share a few podcasts on the HERO feed that we think you might like. We will release these episodes over the next month. 

This first one is from a podcast called The Most Important Question from the Important, Not Important team. When HERO first launched, Important, Not Important featured one of our early episodes. It’s a good show, and we’ve been happy to remain in touch over the years.

This episode fits in well with our recent season. It’s an interview with Dr. Ticora V. Jones, who served as the chief scientist for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She’s currently the chief science officer at the NRDC. 

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Have feedback or questions about the episode? Tweet at the show, or send a message to [email protected].

Want more? Get started with fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

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First, we need to share some news. This may be our last episode.

We are so grateful to the funding we have received for this podcast over the past four years. But our largest grant is ending soon. So for now, we are saying goodbye. We truly hope to be back in your feed someday.

To commemorate HERO, we are doing one last “follow-up” episode. This was an idea from you, our listeners. You suggested talking to past interviewees and seeing what they are doing now.

For today’s show, we’re doing a “reporters’ roundtable” where we look back and look ahead at some of our most impactful stories of the past eight seasons. Host Reena Ninan talks to Kenya-based reporters Sharon Kiburi and Eunice Maina as well as South-Africa based journalist Elna Schutz.

If you are new to the show, you may want to go back and listen to the stories that Kiburi, Maina, and Schutz talk about on this episode:

In the meantime, please stay in touch. You can email us at [email protected] or contact our senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem at [email protected]. We hope to be back soon.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

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The idea for today’s show came from you: our listeners. Many of you wanted to hear follow-up stories. You suggested talking to past interviewees and seeing what they are doing now. In particular, you were curious if the gender equality issues they were advocating for had advanced or backslid since we first reported on them.

Today, we are coming back to Sabrina Habib, who was on our very first episode in 2021. Habib is the CEO and co-founder of Kidogo, a nonprofit focused on creating affordable high-quality daycare centers in Kenya. Since we last spoke with Habib, Kidogo has greatly expanded. Host Reena Ninan asks her what led to this growth and about her recent endeavors with Melinda French Gates.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

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