Gen Talks new/gen

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Sanika and Tyler expose how the patriarchy disincentivizes men from acknowledging their feelings, resulting in higher suicide rates, depression, anger issues, and alcohol dependency among men. Emotions, vulnerability, and feelings are often stereotyped as feminine traits. In a patriarchal world, feminity equals weakness. However, with feminist advocacy, we can deconstruct such narratives, allowing men to access their feminity (i.e. their emotions). Enjoy the listen!

As Black History Month comes to an end, Sanika recounts how the women's rights movement has historically oppressed Black women, analyzes how Black History played a crucial role in propagating the women's rights movement, and highlights a few under-appreciated women from the Civil Rights Movement. This episode is dedicated to recognizing that women's rights advocacy has discluded Black women in the past in hopes of inspiring listeners to make their advocacy more consciously inclusive in the future. Happy Black History Month and enjoy the listen!

Last Wednesday, the Taliban in Afghanistan denied women the right to higher education. As men in Afghanistan walk out of their schools in protest, Sanika and Tyler highlight these stories and share what Afghan women want you to know. Listen in for a brief history of the Taliban's presence in Afghanistan, an analysis of the broader implications of the recent human rights violation, the eye-opening stories of a few women who fought for rights in Afghanistan, and a list of organizations you can donate to at the end! 

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In this episode, Host Sanika Agarwalla invites her Iranian peer, Yalda Haghighat to take a deeper look into the women's rights protests taking place in Iran. On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman, suspiciously died after being arrested by Iranian police for showing too much hair under her hijab. While this occurrence is not new to the people of Iran, it is a call to action: the people of Iran have since banded together to protest Iran's government, an autocratic regime. Agarwalla and Haghighat discuss the validity of the Islamic Republic of Iran's involvement in the population's personal lives, given that it is a theocracy. Haghighat shares insightful knowledge of the oppression Iranian people face every day, from bans on parties to inaccess to the internet. The two ask: how far will Iran's government go to maintain power? Haghighat reveals that the Iranian government often shuts down schools during times of protest, posing an even bigger question: Does Iran's government fear educated women? 

Sanika and Tyler have a raw conversation about the societal pressure for women to wear makeup. They recognize the aspirational nature of a world in which women can earn respect without a perfect lip and give a nod to women like Kim Kardashian for tapping into that very pressure to make millions. 

Sanika and Tyler explore a holistic perspective on the polarized debate: Roe v Wade. What if we took a step back from the nitty gritty of Abortion Rights in America and recognized the existence of this issue all over the world? This episode offers a side-by-side comparison of women's reproductive rights in China, Iran, and the United States, allowing for contextual clarity on the issue. Is this really about pro-choice and pro-life, or is it about the universal fight for bodily autonomy? Listen in to find out.