Encore It’s International Women's Day, Not International Mother's Day!
March 7, 2023
Hosted by Christine Erickson
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Guest Information
Episode Description
On International Women's Day, join us for this wide-ranging discussion with Jody Day. Whether mothers or not, we are women first, and that's the message IWD needs to get behind. We discuss the dark underbelly of the media & its roots in the ‘shadow’ archetype of the mother, and how the first place change needs to take place is in our own minds, by awakening to the seductive & corrosive power of pronatalism and how it limits the visions, lives & futures of all women (which is exactly what it’s meant to do!) Jody Day is the British founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship, support & advocacy network she set up by accident after starting a blog sharing honestly the truth of her childlessness in 2011. It got media attention the day after the very first blog was published. Not long after, she was interviewed for The Guardian newspaper (UK) for a piece that went viral & is still being read today. She has often been referred to as 'the voice of the childless generation' Her compassionate and sometimes humorous take on all things childless-related is one that many have come to rely on. Jody has written & spoken often of the fetishization of motherhood, whilst devaluing non-motherhood to the detriment of all women. Another example of this is International Women's Day, which has increasingly come to be seen as yet another day in the year to 'celebrate motherhood'. Thus entirely neglecting the role that non-mothers play in the world, and further reducing women's social contributions to their reproductive status.
New Legacy Radio
Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
New Legacy Radio is a social justice platform about people without children. This space is intended to bring visibility and change to our experiences, to connect with our allies and anyone committed to learning more from our community, which is reaching an estimated one-third of the global population. The show addresses the social, systemic, and structural realities perpetuated by reproductive and relational identity bias. We discuss the impact of pronatalist behavior and policies, through the perspectives of our community and allies, as we work to achieve meaningful change that recognizes the truly diverse, intersectional continuum of our experiences. New Legacy Radio is brought to you by New Legacy Institute (NLI), which is policy institute, focused on the global culture and impact of pronatalism. The Institute’s social justice advocacy serves the growing, global community of people without children. NLI’s mission is to generate constructive change in cultural, organizational, and institutional policies that exhibit biases against people without children.
Christine Erickson
Christine J. Erickson is the founder of New Legacy Institute (NLI), the only institute focused on the global imposition and real-world impact of pronatalist constructs and policy, and the lived experiences of people without children. NLI advocates for equal individual protections across reproductive and relationship experiences (and beyond), as an urgent and foundational change in social policy. Christine is an experienced leadership advisor, entrepreneur, and policy advocate with vast, diverse global experience. She holds an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
