The Practical Feminist

By Niagara Podcasters' Network

What's The Practical Feminist about?

The Practical Feminist features Laura Ip and Ruth Unrau digging into politics, education, leadership, community, and everything in between through a feminist lens and from a practical perspective. A generation between them and waking to their feminism at different points in their lives, everything is up for discussion and critique.

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The Practical Feminist episodes:

05.01.2018
Women are the Champions of the Rebellion Now
Laura and Ruth talk about what it means to not only our daughters, but also our sons to be seeing so many strong, smart, independent women in leading roles in media.
04.17.2018
Invisible Women
Laura and Ruth start off discussing that women of a certain age are invisible to street harassers and end up meandering through a whole gamut of ways in which women become or are treated as invisible.
03.20.2018
Where did the middle go?
Laura and Ruth discuss the value of listening to viewpoints that are contrary to your own and trying to reclaim some middle ground in this political climate.
03.14.2018
Five reasons our sons need feminism too
In fact, feminism is nothing if it isn't for everyone. Laura and Ruth discuss why it's important to raise our sons to be feminists.
03.06.2018
Reproductive rights with Pati Habermann
Laura and Ruth sit down with Pati Habermann to discuss the fight for access to safe, legal abortion.
02.05.2018
Let's Talk About Sex...some more
Laura and Ruth had more to say about the Let’s Talk About Sex episode, and Trevor was still recording....
01.28.2018
Let's Talk About Sex
In the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements and following the article about Aziz Ansari, Laura and Ruth talk about the ways in which women navigate sexual encounters to stay safe.
01.23.2018
#TimesUp
Laura and Ruth discuss the TimesUp campaign and the impact it is having and can have on how women will be treated in 2018 and beyond.
01.15.2018
I Can't Even With This: The Devil's Advocate
Laura and Ruth talk about the damage the devil’s advocate does to a conversation and how utterly useless they are.
01.08.2018
Underdogs and Shape Your Life
Ruth talks to Laura about why she started Underdogs Boxing Club and about bringing Shape Your Life to Niagara.
12.18.2017
The Invisible Workload That Drags Women Down
You can almost hear how exhausted Laura and Ruth are talking about all of the mental energy women expend to keep the household running, the kids cared for, and - well - all the things getting done.
12.12.2017
Feminism and Indigeneity
Laura and Ruth talk with Patty Krawec about Indigenous women and communities within and parallel to what is historically a very white, middle-class feminist movement.
12.12.2017
The Feelings Episode
Laura’s been having some feelings and Ruth makes the space for her to talk about them.
12.07.2017
I Can't Even With This
Laura and Ruth celebrate The Practical Feminist's first anniversary with the launch of a special episode: I Can't Even With This. ICEWT will be a regular special episode. In this one, Laura and Ruth go off about Men's Rights Activists.
11.13.2017
#NotThemToo
Laura and Ruth discuss what’s coming for this generation of girls and how it can be stopped.
11.08.2017
Run away from men who can't handle your ambition
Laura and Ruth discuss how frightening ambitious women are to men and how it impacts dating and relationships.
10.31.2017
Clothing is sexist
Laura and Ruth discuss historical and modern-day sexism in clothing, with a splash of discussion around body image.
10.24.2017
#MeToo
Laura and Ruth share some of their first experiences with sexual harassment and assault and discuss the #MeToo campaign.
10.17.2017
Why Feminists Need Intergenerational Friendships
Laura and Ruth talk to Valerie Chalmers of The Empowered Millennials about the value of having friends both older and younger than you.
10.09.2017
Age difference in relationships
Laura and Ruth start discussing their biases about significant age differences in relationships and end with the episode going entirely off the rails....
10.04.2017
All the single ladies
People have a lot of expectations of single women and what their lives should look like in order to be happy. Laura and Ruth discuss how little has changed in 25 years.
09.25.2017
Bill 148
Laura and Ruth discuss Bill 148 and its potential impacts and unintended consequences, particularly on women and youth.
09.17.2017
With Laura Hughes about the sex-ed curriculum
Laura and Ruth speak with Laura Hughes, a community educator in Niagara, about the province's sex-ed curriculum, how it's being taught, and resources for teaching it more effectively and consistently.
09.12.2017
Virginity
The concept of virginity is fraught with problems. Laura and Ruth discuss double standards, heteronormativity, and value.
09.05.2017
Cutesy titles
Laura and Ruth delve into the use of titles like "She-EO," "girl boss," and "boss babe" for women who are in leadership roles in the workforce, whether that be managing a large business/organization or owning and running a business/organization.
08.28.2017
Emotional labour
Laura and Ruth talk about what emotional labour is, what it means to hold space for people, and discuss some ways we can all do it better.
08.20.2017
How do we treat the boys who date our daughters?
Laura and Ruth talk about dads threatening boys for dating their daughters and some of the problems with making those threats and what those threats assume/imply.
08.14.2017
LPGA institues stricter dress code
Laura and Ruth discuss the LPGA's introduction of stricter dress code rules and the policing of women's clothing more generally. And Laura comes up with a 'fun' Hallowe'en costume idea....
08.07.2017
Women in Politics - The Abuse Women Take
Laura and Ruth talk about the abuse women (and occasionally) men take when they enter the political sphere and how we might help to curb that behaviour. How do we encourage more women to run or engage women at all when...
07.31.2017
Wonder Woman
Laura and Ruth talk about Wonder Woman's first movie, how incredible it is, and the impact of strong female characters in media.
07.25.2017
Weddings
Laura and Ruth discuss their weddings, the wedding industry, wedding traditions, and some of the implications of all of these things.
07.17.2017
On-line resting bitch face
Laura and Ruth abandon their 'clean' rating for an episode to discuss how social media has fucked with the on-line equivalent of our resting bitch faces.
07.11.2017
The impact of parental leave
Laura and Ruth discuss how a lengthy parental leave might impact women's career trajectories and workplace treatment more negatively than it already does.
07.03.2017
In conversation with Chris Bittle, M.P.
St. Catharines Member of Parliament Chris Bittle joins Laura and Ruth to discuss the gender wage gap, parental leave, and Canada's feminism-friendly government.
06.26.2017
Getting comfortable with money
In this final episode that came out of Georgina Black's WINspirational Women interview with Ruth for Women in Niagara Council, Laura and Ruth discuss her advice to get comfortable with money, as well as some negotiation skills. Ruth and Laura...
06.11.2017
Power and presence
When Georgina Black, partner KPMG, spoke with Ruth at a recent WINspiration event put on by Women in Niagara Council of the GNCC, Georgina suggested, "We have so many bright capable women who come into the boardroom and it's like...
06.05.2017
Body image
Laura and Ruth delve into society's expectations around women's appearances. Don't be too big, don't be too small, don't be too muscular, oh, and make sure to put on that makeup.
05.29.2017
Who benefits from you living small?
Laura and Ruth follow-up some words of wisdom shared by Georgina Black at WIN Council's WINspirational Women event.
05.14.2017
The problem with "Cool Girl" feminism
There might not be a perfect feminist, but the "Cool Girl" feminist isn't really a feminist at all. Laura and Ruth talk about the dangers - to feminism and other women - of seeking male approval for feminism. Side note: We...
05.07.2017
So, you think you're an ally?
Just as there is no perfect feminist, Laura and Ruth discuss that there is no perfect ally. In this episode, they discuss how allies sometimes act counterproductively and how we can all be better in our ally-ship.
04.30.2017
The Red Tent
Laura and Ruth discuss ways and spaces in which women gather to discuss politics, life experiences, and to support each other.
04.26.2017
Mansplaining
Laura and Ruth discuss the phenomenon of mansplaining and bust Trevor's chops a little.
04.17.2017
Toxic Masculinity
Nobody wins when we tell our men to "man up." Laura and Ruth explore where this came from, how it impacts society, alternative approaches, and some of the uglier instances of this toxicity gone wrong.
04.10.2017
The Patriarchy
Laura and Ruth talk about what they mean when they say the P-word.
04.03.2017
Mixed Messages
Sometimes, it can be a challenge for our allies to figure out when and how they can help and when they should let us do our own thing. Laura, Ruth, and Trevor try to sort through it all.
03.27.2017
Women's History Month Wrap-up
The Practical Feminists cover a variety of stories, issues and topics from Women's History Month in March.
03.21.2017
Rape Myths
Following the Globe and Mail's Unfounded investigation, Laura and Ruth discuss rape myths and how they continue to be perpetuated and believed by law enforcement and the general public.
03.13.2017
Imposter Syndrome
The dynamic duo of Laura Ip and Ruth Unrau take on the thinking behind imposter syndrome and how it affects women differently than men.
03.06.2017
Wonder Woman
Laura Ip and special guest Grant LaFleche discuss the long history of this feminist icon.
02.27.2017
Unfounded
An in-depth discussion around the recent Globe and Mail article about how 1 in 5 sexual assault claims are considered baseless.

What's The Practical Feminist about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Practical Feminist episodes:

Women are the Champions of the Rebellion Now

Invisible Women

Where did the middle go?

Five reasons our sons need feminism too

Reproductive rights with Pati Habermann

Let's Talk About Sex...some more

Let's Talk About Sex

#TimesUp

I Can't Even With This: The Devil's Advocate

Underdogs and Shape Your Life

The Invisible Workload That Drags Women Down

Feminism and Indigeneity

The Feelings Episode

I Can't Even With This

#NotThemToo

Run away from men who can't handle your ambition

Clothing is sexist

#MeToo

Why Feminists Need Intergenerational Friendships

Age difference in relationships

All the single ladies

Bill 148

With Laura Hughes about the sex-ed curriculum

Virginity

Cutesy titles

Emotional labour

How do we treat the boys who date our daughters?

LPGA institues stricter dress code

Women in Politics - The Abuse Women Take

Wonder Woman

Weddings

On-line resting bitch face

The impact of parental leave

In conversation with Chris Bittle, M.P.

Getting comfortable with money

Power and presence

Body image

Who benefits from you living small?

The problem with "Cool Girl" feminism

So, you think you're an ally?

The Red Tent

Mansplaining

Toxic Masculinity

The Patriarchy

Mixed Messages

Women's History Month Wrap-up

Rape Myths

Imposter Syndrome

Wonder Woman

Unfounded