White Picket Fence

Anne Helen Peterson, a culture writer known for her insights into feminism, and Sophie Lewis, a scholar focused on gender politics, dive deep into the emerging 'womanosphere.' They discuss how nostalgia and social media fuel a retro gender order, exploring concepts like 'tradwife' rhetoric and the exhaustion of modern feminism. The conversation highlights the dangers of turning away from structural issues towards personal solutions, and how these narratives serve broader political aims. Together, they envision ways to counter this cultural trend and reimagine gender roles.

We're starting this week's episode with a bit of a rewind, back to the 1970s in the U.S. As women gained new rights and visibility, a backlash took shape among men who felt left behind. What began as scattered grievances soon grew into a movement promising to restore a vision of power they believed had been lost. Over time, this ideology found fertile ground online, fueling everything from digital echo chambers to cultural battles over faith and identity. In this episode, we explore how the market for masculinity became a cornerstone of America’s broader gender backlash—and what its staying power reveals about our politics today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this discussion, guest Kira, a pronatalism reporter, dives into the controversial American pronatalist movement, revealing its complex ties to tech, tradition, and nationalism. She explains the surprising alliances between religious traditionalists and tech entrepreneurs, both aiming to boost fertility rates. The conversation explores policy proposals, such as weighted voting for parents, and delves into the movement's exclusionary rhetoric targeting childless individuals. Kira also connects pronatalism to troubling historical parallels, examining its roots in eugenics and nationalistic ideas.

Nearly a century ago, Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin, Germany became the first establishment in the world to offer comprehensive medical services, counselling, and sex education to the LGBTQ community. The Institute reflected the progressive values that were foundational to the Weimar Republic, Germany’s first democratic government. But authoritarianism was on the rise. And to the Nazi Party, the Institute was an existential threat. What we’re experiencing today in the U.S. is frightening. But it’s not unprecedented. The weaponization of gender and sexuality is a universal feature of authoritarianism. In this episode, Julie digs more deeply into the connection between attacks on women and LGBTQ people and authoritarianism, by looking at other autocratic regimes, both past and present.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this discussion, Amara Jones, a journalist and TransLash Media founder, highlights rising threats against the trans community, linking them to growing anti-trans sentiment and Christian nationalism. Jillian Branstetter from the ACLU dives into the implications of the recent executive order that seeks to erase transgender identities and restrict access to services. They explore how the backlash impacts broader civil rights and warn that these shifts are instigating a culture war that threatens everyone's freedoms.

Right now, we're in the midst of a gender backlash. A growing number of voices have started calling for a return to a simpler time. A time, they say, when men were men and women were women. But "gender" is being used as Trojan horse, a way to advance an extremist agenda that stands to harm millions of Americans. This season on White Picket Fence, we're pulling back the curtain. We'll examine the ways this backlash is showing up in our policies, our culture, and the social media content we scroll past every day. And we're asking what becomes possible when we imagine a better future -- and what we owe the next generation. New episodes drop this September. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re thrilled to share that our fifth season of White Picket Fence won the Webby Award for the best News & Politics limited series! It’s such an honor to be recognized and to continue to shed light on the manufactured “marriage panic” that, if anything, has only grown more pronounced since the season was released. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, please check it out and share with your friends. And stay tuned for our next season dropping this fall… check out this sneak peek. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When host Julie Kohler became a mom, a community of care sprouted up around her. The people who showed up to support her and her family were essential -- and they would be whether or not she was a single mom. All season, we've dissected the institution of marriage in the US. But what are we missing when talk only about marriage? For the final episode of this season, we're asking what the future of family could look like if marriage wasn't the ideal. We're talking to people who have created networks of support within and around marriage and examining the language and policies that can enable us to lead the lives we want to live. Whether that includes marriage, or... something else! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve spent a lot of time this season investigating the current marriage panic. The pro-marriage crew is sounding alarm bells that if we don’t start marrying, and quit divorcing, things in the U.S. will only get worse. But our theory on this show is that the path to stability and happiness actually leads in the opposite direction. What if we could look beyond our shores, at a country that was taking a very different approach? This episode, we’re visiting Denmark: One of the countries that consistently, year after year after year, has some of the happiest citizens in the world. And we’re taking a look at Danish culture around marriage and divorce and relationships and family to see if we can learn some secrets from the experts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1969, California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the country's first no-fault divorce bill into law. Since then, Americans have been able to leave their marriages without having to prove their spouse committed any wrongdoing. But now, there's a growing movement on the right to make ending a marriage much harder. This week, host Julie Kohler digs into this current attack on no-fault divorce — and rolls back the clock to explore the "Wild West" of American divorce laws that existed before.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.