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Welcome to another episode of The Gynarchy Podcast! Today, I am speaking to sociology professor, award-winning teacher, expert on families, school, and inequalities, and author, Jessica Calarco, about her book Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.

In “Episode 18: Women: Society’s Safety Net”, Dr. Calarco offers insights from her groundbreaking research on how women’s labor is undervalued, often taken for granted, and routinely left unpaid. We discuss societal myths, how we can push back against these harmful narratives, and advocate for better policies to create a more equitable future.

Here are some of the topics we discuss:

• Examples of how women are society’s safety net
• How the COVID-19 pandemic starkly brought these inequities to light
• Harmful myths that contribute to this problem, including: the Myth of Meritocracy, the Mars-Venus Myth, the Supermom Myth, the Myth of Good Choices
• Socioeconomic impacts of social policies on women
• How women are forced into motherhood
• Men’s incentives to avoid care work
• The appeal of the “trad wife” trend
• The outsize influence of billionaires and corporations on policies
• Policies in other countries with greater gender equality that do work

Tune in on Monday, March 17, 2025 and make sure to subscribe to stay updated on all our episodes.

Where to connect with Jessica Calarco:

Website: Jessica Calarco

Bluesky: Jess Calarco (@jessicacalarco.bsky.social)

Instagram: Instagram (@jesscalarco)

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jesscalarco

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Medical disclaimer: The content provided on this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.