If you are one of the 1.3 million active duty military personnel in the US or one of the over 750,000 National Guard and Reserves called into active duty and you are sexually assaulted - or worse - you fall under a military justice system, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Your active commanding officers may well be determining your case. in 2024, there were 8195 reports of sexual assault in the miliary - affecting roughly equal numbers of men and women. In October 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rolled back whistle-blower protections for assault charges in the military. Why are we stepping back from reforms of the last 25 years? Can US military culture be made safer for service men and women? Join Nancy Parrish, Founder and Director of Protect Our Defenders (PoD), a national organization dedicated to ending sexual assault in the military, for a timely discussion of the military and it's policies surrounding sexual assault. (PoD provides pro bono legal assistance to affected individuals as well as advocacy on policy changes). Resources:  Veterans See Costs and Risks in Hegseth’s Military Rewind to 1990 - The New York Times Protect Our Defenders Hegseth’s Rollback of Whistleblower Protections Is Reckless and Dangerous to Mission Readiness SAPR.mil Lawmakers press for continued funds, staff to combat military sexual assault

Menopause - a naturally occurring stage of life for all women - has been misunderstood, hushed up, and often poorly treated for generations. Yet in recent years, a sea change has taken place. Women know more, speak up more, and their doctors - often female - are able to respond with more options. Where are we today? Join us for a conversation with Dr Kelly-Ann Shedd-Hartman about this topic every woman should know more about. Resources: Hormone Replacement Therapy - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf Chin Hair, Laundry, Your Opinion: Women in Menopause Don’t Care How a women's pain is often ignored by health care The black box warning on menopause treatments could change. Here’s why.

Electricians, construction workers, plumbers, power plant technicians, heavy equipment operators: all these and more make up the 'skilled trades.' Such jobs typically offer some of the best pay for workers without a college degree. These skilled trades make up almost 30% of our economy - and have historically been all male. Today, women hold only 4% of these jobs. (Take that, Rosie the Riveter.) Why? Sue Hoffman is our guest to plumb (!) this topic. Sue has spent a lifetime working to expand workforces for women. She brings a wealth of experience, including as a consultant, the head of Women in Nontraditional Careers Initiative in Philadelphia, and as a tradeswoman herself. Listen in to learn about some of the biggest impediments to getting more women into more skilled trades. And, spoiler alert, it's not hiring discrimination. Resources: Equity Resource Center – Chicago Women in Trades Construction Careers - Build Your Future Career Cluster videos Intro to Apprenticeship Oregon Tradeswomen Earn Good Money Turner Named One of America’s Best Employers for Women by Forbes | Insights Quick Data on Women Working in Construction, 2015 to 2024 (Institute for Women's Policy Research, Aug 2025)

It can be hard to step back and 'see' our gendered world - all the different behaviors, work and family roles, clothes, speaking styles, body language, hair styles that to us mean 'male' or 'female.' This gendered world is all we've ever known, after all.  All those seemingly small gendered manifestations yield big consequences however: men are 4 times more likely to commit suicide, women accumulate about half as many assets over a lifetime, men experience more physical violence and a dearth of satisfying social relationships, women provide the vast bulk of unpaid care for children, other adults, and the home - the list could go on.  Yet these differences are not innate. They are not just a function of our hormones or our different reproductive functions. In fact, they reflect thousands of years of socializing norms and the creation of systems and institutions that govern our lives. We think it's time for a fresh look at how we got here - gendered world and all. Resources: A Gendered World makes a Gendered Brain | Gina Rippon | TEDxCardiff, Anglea Saini: The Patriarchs, How to talk to kids about gender equality and stereotypes | UN Women – Headquarters, National Women's History Museum, Invisible Women | Caroline Criado Perez, Gender stereotypes begin at age 10 | Hub, Gender and media - GSDRC, Geena Davis Institute, "Historical Perspectives on Violence Against Women" by Vivian C. Fox 

How do YOU view the government? Does it have a role in ensuring protections or enforcing rights? Does it handicap our lives with wasteful inefficiencies and rules? Does it help you - or do you think it only helps others? Whatever you think, you probably have good reasons for those beliefs. Which we get! In this episode, we peek into why and how we develop our attitudes about the government - and how listening to one another might just help us all thrive more.  Resources: A look at small businesses in the U.S. A Bipartisan Nation of Beneficiaries | Pew Research Center Invisible Women | Caroline Criado Perez

Out of 50 states in the US, women hold 13 governorships, 28% of Congress, and have never been elected President. The US is 53rd in the world in political gender parity. This is 2025, so really, why is this? And does it even matter - do we really need equal representation in elected offices? In this episode, we look at the social forces at work (who is a leader?) as well as some pragmatic impediments. And yes, it does matter. Bonus: we talk about our deep-seated expectations of who should be in charge. Resources: Women Support Harris, but the American Presidency Remains a Male Bastion | The Fuller Project The 119th Congress: Some history makers, but fewer women overall - The 19th Americans tend to elect the tallest person for president - here's how the 2020 candidates would fare | The Independent Pragmatic bias impedes women’s access to political leadership | PNAS

The League of Women Voters sounds like it comes from another era, like maybe that time of Victorian dresses festooned with "VOTES FOR WOMEN" sashes. Well, it sorta does. And yet it's still here today, more meaningful than ever. Today we talk with Terri Kondos, the Manatee County League Voter Services Chair. Terri spent 38 years with the Department of Defense in intelligence and national security, but her current beat is voter rights and information. So, did you know the League publishes voter services guides on national AND local issues? And that they are ALWAYS non-partisan, and never advocate for any candidate? They're here for all of us! After you listen to Terri, sign up for the August 26 Women's Equality Day event in Sarasota - free and open to all. Sign-up link below.   Resources: League of Women Voters League of Women Voters of Manatee County League of Women Voters of Sarasota County Gender Differences in Voter Turnout Sign up for August 26th - link!     Vote 411

Are people having the families they want? Why or why not? And are women really to blame for low fertility rates? A new report surveyed 14,000 people in 14 countries to really understand what is happening and why fertility rates are dropping all over. The findings may surprise some policy makers who are struggling to identify incentives for families, but really shouldn't surprise any of us. Spoiler: people want MORE children! Take a listen.  Resources: Not Just More Babies: These Republicans Want More Parents at Home UNFPA report links falling birth rates to cost of living, sexist norms, fear of the future Link report, videos from report Opinion | A Bold Idea to Raise the Birthrate: Make Parenting Less Torturous - The New York Times Americans' Preference for Larger Families Highest Since 1971 The Impossibly High Cost of Childcare – Women's eNews

As part of our continuing series on 'when life begins - the surprising history of conception' we talk with Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Spahn about the surprising history of legal views on conception -when life begins- and it's probably not what you think. There is so much political talk about women having babies these days - whether they have too many or not enough - that is seemed essential to see how our society came to it's current understandings about conception.   Resources: Elizabeth Spahn: law review article State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy | Guttmacher Institute

Medicaid, SNAP, and Medicare are some of our largest domestic benefits programs. Eligibility is not gender-specific. Yet someone they affect women differently. We don't know whether or not these programs will be changed in the final version of the Big Beautiful Bill, but we do know who uses them and why. Get your facts here.   Resources:  Women's Health Insurance Coverage | KFF Gender and Racial Justice in SNAP House Republicans’ Big, ‘Beautiful’ Bill Would Make Health Care More Expensive for Americans With Medicare and Other Insurance Where We Stand: Retirement Security – AAUW Allocating CBO’s Estimates of Federal Medicaid Spending Reductions and Enrollment Loss Across the States | KFF US women are paying billions more for healthcare than men every year Florida Closing the Benefit Gap to Advance Women’s Health Equity | Deloitte US SNAP Helps Millions of Low-Income Seniors | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities House Reconciliation Bill Proposes Deepest SNAP Cut in History, Would Take Food Assistance Away From Millions of Low-Income Families Current Numbers Medicaid | Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Parts of Medicare Distribution of Medicare Beneficiaries by Sex | KFF

As part of our continuing series on 'when life begins - the surprising history of conception' we talk with Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Spahn about the surprising history of the scientific understanding of conception - when life begins. And, spoiler alert, how we all get started is not what we were taught in high school biology class. There is so much political talk about women having babies these days - whether they have too many or not enough - that is seemed essential to see how our society came to the current understandings. Plus..... there's a nightclub involved.    Elizabeth Spahn: law review article State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy | Guttmacher Institute    

85% of all American women change their names at the time of marriage. If passed, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act could disenfranchise these women because their current legal name does not match the name on their birth certificate. How could this be? Why would we want to do this? Note: the SAVE act has passed the US house and is moving to the Senate, so keep your eye on this one.  Resources: A Tradition Going Strong: Brides Who Take Their Husbands’ Names - The New York Times 9 Things to Know About the Proposed SAVE Act Mrs Man: Why do women take their husbands' surnames? SAVE Act Explained: Americans will need these documents to vote — Or be turned away

"Have more babies!" is the Trump administration's current family initiative. Huh? If you’ve never heard of ‘pro-natalism,’ this is for you. Join us for a talk of fertility treatments, Elon Musk, car seats, Nobel Prize winner Claudia Goldin, childcare, why families do and do not want babies, and much more. This is one topic you’ll want to keep an eye on. Resources: 1. Reasons adults give for not having children, Need to boost population? Encourage dads to step up at home. — Harvard Gazette, Babies and the Macroeconomy | NBER, The Pro-Family Policy This Nation Actually Needs - The Atlantic, The Far Right’s Campaign to Explode the Population - POLITICO

Childcare meets economics. This episode dives into how access to affordable, high-quality childcare shapes families, communities, and the economy at large. Resources: Data Dashboard: An Overview of Child Care and Early Learning in the United States - Center for American Progress, Lakewood Ranch business leads way in new Florida support for employee childcare, Florida childcare tax credits help Sarasota businesses keep employees

We talk with Professor Law Emerita, Elizabeth Spahn, about the fascinating and surprising history of Christian views on the beginning of human life - and It's most certainly not what you think. We cover the start of life, from Aristotle to Dobbs in 37 easy-to-understand minutes - you'll never think about conception the same way again. Resources: Arrested at gunpoint, charged as a felon: a midwife’s lot in anti-abortion Texas | Arwa Mahdawi | The Guardian, The Week in Patriarchy | The Guardian, State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy | Guttmacher Institute, ES: law review article, Religious views on abortion more diverse than they may appear in U.S. political debate, Texas Senate Bill 2880

Without equal resources, is equality even possible? In this episode, we look at the gender gaps in both pay and accumulated wealth: what the gaps mean, why these gaps are still with us, and what we can do. Resources: Gender pay gap in U.S. has narrowed slightly over 2 decades, Reckoning With the Hidden Rules of Gender in the Tax Code: How Low Taxes on Corporations and the Wealthy Impact Women’s Economic Opportunity and Security - National Women's Law Center, Real and nominal value of the minimum wage U.S. 2024| Statista, Facts and figures: Economic empowerment | UN Women – Headquarters, The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap, The Gender Wage Gap Widened For the First Time in Two Decades, and Trump Responds by Rolling Back Protections that Help Workers Discover Discriminatory Pay | National Partnership for Women & Families, Women already earn less. Trump’s labor cuts could make the pay gap easier to hide., Magazine Home Page

Who does care work? Why? And why does it matter? Join us for a look at paid and unpaid care work - nursing home aides, day care, cleaning, and all that goes with it - and see why it's a serious women's issue. Resources: wordslut Untapped Protentional: Florida Report Through Women's Eyes Film Festival  

Why do we want diversity anyway? Is there a business case for it? And why are folks opposed to it? This is our second go-around with DEI and in this episode we look at more human factors. What could be more important?

DEI has been around for a long time, but it exploded in the national news over the past two weeks. The federal government’s order to end all DEI policies and programs has immediate consequences - and potentially a very long tale. We take a look at what the hell DEI really is, where it comes from, and what to make of this new direction.

The world is changing fast, but is it benefiting everyone? A Woman’s Place examines how policies, politics, and cultural shifts impact women. From wage gaps to remote work, reproductive rights to crypto, we break down today’s biggest stories affecting the 51%. In this episode, we introduce ourselves, discuss why gender equality still needs attention and explore what’s shaping the future. How do we push forward to benefit everyone?