Whether it’s housing, consent, entrepreneurship, or reproductive freedom, this series's issues all overlap with the need for adequate and affordable mental health care in America. In the final episode of the season, hosts Gina Brillon and Kimberly Brooks reflect on the crucial need for mental health approaches that result in positive outcomes. They'll also share examples of states that can serve as models for others underperforming and provide resources for individuals who need support.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration by Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

Women run only one in five of America’s companies, and women-led startups received only two percent of venture capital spending in 2020. Why is it so hard for women to obtain VC funding for their businesses? Hosts Gina Brillon and Kimberly Brooks dive into the complex, intersectional issues at play and how some states do a much better job than others in creating an environment for women-owned businesses to thrive. But there are lessons to be learned from the places where women-led businesses are booming — and they can provide a blueprint for other states.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration by Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

Women are uniquely affected by the affordable housing crisis raging across the U.S. Hosts Kimberly Brooks, and Gina Brillon tackle the regulations that make it hard on tenants in different states and shine a light on places where policies make it safer and more affordable to live. A timely look at the good, the bad, and the promising policies to ensure people have safe, affordable, adequate housing.

Housing advocates report 11 million households spend half their income on rent, and Harvard reports over 38M households spend a third of their income on housing. Too many families are one unexpected bill away from sliding into being unhoused. For support in California, check out Tenants Together. Need national help, check out the National Alliance to end Homelessness. If you’re at risk of becoming unhoused, look into your city's shelters, transitional housing, rental assistance programs, and programs  for women and children.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration by Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

Forced marriage not only happens but is legal in 47 states. In many cases, it involves an underaged girl. It's an issue with consent at its core — who has it, who doesn't — and what states are taking a stand for women and girls. Hosts Gina Brillon and Kimberly Brooks delve into the roadblocks to taking this issue seriously — and what we can do to clear them.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

Unchained At Last is a survivor-led nonprofit organization dedicated to ending forced and child marriage in the United States through direct services and advocacy. If you need help or want to support direct programs and policy change, please check them out. Girls First Fund is an international organization that champions community-led efforts to ensure girls and young women can create their own futures - free from forced marriage. If you are experiencing consent or domestic violence issues, please call 800-799-7233 or text 88788 to reach the National Domestic Violence hotline.

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration by Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

One in four American children lives with a single parent. However, America’s policies and institutions are still modeled around the traditional two-parent household where one parent works and the other stays at home. Hosts Kimberly Brooks and Gina Brillon unpack how that idea contributes to the modern-day caregiving crisis, how it is hitting single-parent families the hardest, and the vast disparities in policies across the U.S. that support solo parents.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

Advocate for moms to be supported and paid by advocating for paid paternal leave, onsite daycare, a living wage, universal preschool, and onboarding programs for women returning to work. Take action with Marshall Plans for Moms. Learn more about changes to the care economy at Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures. Check out In Her Hands, a pilot project of Give Directly and Georgia Resilience Fund that puts money into Black mothers’ hands as a universal income experiment. These non-profits provide financial resources and housing support for single mothers.

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration by Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

Diving into how divorce laws came about helps explain why the system feels so broken. Plus, custody laws — and how they’re adjudicated — can have life-defining effects on women and children. Hosts Gina Brillon and Kimberly Brooks delve into how divorce and custody laws affect women unevenly across the states and the changes that could improve these laws.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

Need support and advice for thriving beyond divorce check out SAS for Women. If you are a victim of domestic violence or assault and need divorce support go to Women’s Law for support. For help with domestic violence, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) or email legal questions: https://hotline.womenslaw.org/public.

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration with Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact-checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

When bathroom bills didn't provide the success their conservative backers wanted, a slew of new state-level laws began to target transgender people of all ages. Hosts Kimberly Brooks and Gina Brillon shed light on the landscape of proposals and laws at the state level directed at trans womxn, the pitfalls of those policies, and the potential avenues for response.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

To support changing the narrative and representation of LGBTQ++ folx in the media, check out GLAAD. Support the Transgender Law Center and drive policy and attitude change work. If you are a young person or family who needs support, check out Trans Youth Equality Foundation (tyef). Are you considering running for office or supporting LGBTQ++ representation – go to the Victory Institutes page for more information. Check out Emerge America if you want to support the New American Majority, which includes LGBTQ++ folx, or are interested in attending a boot camp.

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration with Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact-checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

The #metoo movement led to a major cultural and policy shift in how sexual harassment is treated in this country. In some states, sexual harassment protections provide a path to justice. But as hosts Kimberly Brooks and Gina Brillon reveal, the changes aren’t distributed evenly. Are the current state policies sufficient to help victims of sexual harassment feel safe at their workplaces? And what happens if they’re not?

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

For support and resources to address workplace sexual harassment or facilitate training to create a positive and safe culture for all employees – check out these resources: Shiso Consulting, Women Against Abuse, Stop Street Harassment, National Women’s Law Center, Legal Center for Gender Equity, and RAINN or call the 24-hour sexual assault hotline: 800-656-HOPE.

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration with Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact-checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

Despite being a little more than half of the US population, women are woefully under-represented in powerful political places. Hosts Gina Brillon and Kimberly Brooks explore why women’s representation in state government matters and the possibilities, progress, and limits of having women at all levels of power, especially the ones that often get ignored.

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

At the heart of The State of: Women are stories that examine policies that enable gender equity or are barriers to it. Today, people are demanding a genuinely representational government. To support this, TSOWpod is uplifting organizations doing vital work to support civic engagement and women's political leadership. Check out Emerge America's Candidate Training, Supermajority's women-to-women organizing strategy, Dancing Hearts Consulting BIPOC power-building programs, and ShePersisted Digital Resilience Toolkit that supports women leaders' online resilience.

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration with Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact-checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.

We may be called the United States, but reproductive freedom is one area where it’s painfully clear that women’s and non-binary people’s rights and choices are increasingly coming down to the laws and policies of each state. Hosts Gina Brillon and Kimberly Brooks take us through the fascinating history of how abortion became a tool to divide Americans and the most significant questions facing Americans as the country deals with the consequences of the Supreme Court’s Dobb’s decision. 

Visit TheStateofWomenpod.com for more information on the podcast and ways to take action in the fight for women's rights. 

For up-to-date information on abortion resources, state-by-state abortion laws, and compelling abortion stories, check out Crossing the Line (CTLpod). Need help finding abortion pills go to plancpills.org. If you live in a restrictive state and need help with abortion access, go to AidAccess.org. Need help funding your abortion, check out the National Network of Abortion Funds. Access trusted abortion care information at AbortionFinder.org and reproductive health.

“The State of: Women” is produced in collaboration by Population Media Center, Clamor, and Reasonable Volume. Episodes written by Elise Hu. Executive Producers are Gina Brillon, Kimberly Brooks, Lisa Caruso, Alex Demyanenko, Adam Reynolds, Allison Chesneau, Elise Hu, and Rachel Swaby. The series was created by Lisa Caruso & Alex Demyanenko.

Producers are Erica Lowy and Maddie Zampanti. Associate Producers are Lillian Holman and Justin Cho. Editing by Maddie Zampanti and assistant edited by Justin Cho. Audio Engineer is Claire Reynolds. Research by Bethy Squires. Fact checking by Carmel Dagan. Original cover art by Jazmine Johnson and Match Zimmerman.

PMC’s Impact and Partnerships Strategist is Charity Tooze. PMC’s Manager of Creative Development is Dominica Ruelas. Additional special thanks to June Neely of PMC and Aaron Hilliard and Molly Cody of Clamor.