A Woman’s Place

Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare, and the Big Beautiful Bill

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:
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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

Embryos, Petri Dishes, IVF

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
 
 

What's in a name? The SAVE Act

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

Pro-Natalists: WHAT?!

"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

How Childcare Fuels the Economy

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

When does life begin? Christian History in a Nutshell

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

Follow the Money

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

The Care Economy

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
 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Part II

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?

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: What IS going on?

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.