Flexible hours for working parents, daycare centers at the office, equal pay. Between the 1960s and 1980s, there was a real sense that big workplace changes were just beyond the horizon.At the time a very common job for women was clerical work. And in 1973, a group of secretaries in Boston formed a women’s labor organization. They called themselves the “9to5.”Actress Jane Fonda then decided to turn the real life struggles of working women into a hit Hollywood movie. Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and country singer Dolly Parton (who also wrote the famous theme song), 9 to 5 was one of the first movies focused on the lives of women in the workplace.Today on the show, we meet the women behind the movement that inspired the movie. And a look at how far we have — or haven’t — come since then.
‘I Wish There Was An Easy Ending:’ Afghanistan’s Murky Future After Longest U.S. War
President Biden announced this week that all U.S. troops if Afghanistan will be withdrawn by Sept. 11, marking the end of America’s 20-year war there.
Former U.S. Army Col. Christopher Kolenda tells NPR there is “no easy ending” to American involvement in Afghanistan.
Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S., tells NPR Afghan civilians will continue to face daily threats of violence.
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The Biden Administration’s Women-Led Push For Investment In ‘Care Infrastructure’
President Biden wants to make a massive investment in infrastructure, and not just in roads and bridges. His administration is proposing big investments in “care infrastructure” — investments designed to help women succeed in the workforce.
Three women leading the administration’s effort speak to NPR: Janelle Jones, the chief economist at the Department of Labor; Heather Boushey, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers; and Jennifer Klein, co-chair of the White House Gender Policy Council.
Additional reporting this episode on women and the workforce from NPR’s Scott Horsley and Melissa Block. Hannah Rosin spoke to NPR’s Michel Martin.
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The J & J Pause, Explained — And What It Means For The U.S. Vaccination Effort
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced a recommended pause in use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-use COVID-19 vaccine, while the agencies investigate reports of a rare but serious blood clot in six people.
The pause comes at a time when public health officials face the growing challenge of vaccine hesitancy, as NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel reports.
NPR’s Tamara Keith and Pien Huang explain the science behind the pause, and how it’s occurring at a challenging moment for the Biden administration.
Additional reporting in this episode comes from NPR’s Allison Aubrey.
The NPR Politics Podcast is also covering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
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Minneapolis Lives In ‘A State Of Continuous Trauma’ After Another Police Killing
There have been nightly protests in Brooklyn Center, Minn., following Sunday’s killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who was shot by former police officer Kim Potter.
Police officials have said Wright’s death resulted from an “accidental discharge,” saying Potter mistook her handgun for her Taser.
State Rep. Esther Agbaje tells NPR the city has been living in “a continuous state of trauma.”
NPR’s Adrian Florido has been covering the trial of former Minneapolis police Derek Chauvin, which is taking place just miles from where Wright was killed. Wednesday was the second day for the defense to call witnesses in Chauvin’s trial.
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As Anti-Trans Bills Advance, Trans Journalists Weigh In On ‘Privilege’ Of Reporting
This week Arkansas became the first state to outlaw gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, as the state legislature overrode a veto by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hutchinson tells NPR why he opposed the bill, which will become law later this summer.
Dr. Joshua Safer, the executive director at Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, explains why gender-affirming therapies — such as puberty blockers or hormone treatment — are safe and healthy for trans youth.
Misconceptions about trans people can be shaped by who tells their stories. Three trans journalists weigh in on how that should be done:
Imara Jones is the creator of TransLash Media.
Kate Sosin is a reporter at The 19th.
Orion Rummler is a reporter at Axios.
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BONUS: ‘We Already Belong’
“To Asian women, not for—there’s no speaking for us, splendidly vast and manifold as our people are.” So writes Korean-American novelist R.O. Kwon in an essay in Vanity Fair. The essay explores the reasons that R.O. was unable to talk openly with her own mother about rising anti-Asian rhetoric and violence in the past year, and how she finally broke that silence. In this episode, Rough Translation producer Justine Yan talks with R.O. about what the essay meant to her, and how to break familiar silences surrounding Asian American communities.
The Housing Market Is Wild Right Now — And It’s Making Inequality Worse
Home prices are soaring around the U.S. Amid low inventory and historically low interest rates, some buyers are hitting the market to find they can’t compete with all-cash offers, or bidding wars that escalate well out of their price range.
Sean Hawksford in Bozeman, Mont., is one of those buyers. He told his story to NPR’s daily economic podcast, The Indicator.
NPR’s Chris Arnold explains why the market is so wild right now.
And while homebuying is a big financial decision, it’s also an emotional one. Those emotions are on full display in a new Netflix show called Marriage or Mortgage. Michelle Singletary, a personal finance columnist for The Washington Post explores what the show reveals about the homebuying process, and why — in more ways than one — it’s not for everyone. Here’s her recent column about the show.
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Amid Record Pandemic Travel, What’s Safe? And The Debate Over Vaccine Passports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mixed messaging on travel reveals the uncertain future of the pandemic, Dr. Monica Gandhi tells NPR. Gandhi is an infectious disease expert at the University of California San Francisco.
In the future, some travelers may be required to verify their vaccine status to enter a stadium or attend a wedding. Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and former member of President Biden’s Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, tells NPR so-called vaccine “passports” can be made secure and private.
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Within Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Lies An Agenda To Address Climate Change
The details in President Biden’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan have a lot to do with protecting the environment. There’s a new clean electricity standard and a focus on low-income communities hit hardest by climate change. But will it be enough?
NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben reports on how some progressives in congress wished Biden’s plan was more ambitious. While many republicans, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, see it as an overreach and have vowed to fight it.
Dr. Leah Stokes, a professor in the department of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says that she’d favor a quicker timeline but still thinks Biden’s plan will go a long way for curbing the effects of climate change.
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