Breaking Down Patriarchy

Episode 1: Introduction "Men and women live on a stage, on which they act out their assigned roles, equal in importance. The play cannot go on without both kinds of performers. Neither of them “contributes” more or less to the whole; neither is marginal or dispensable. But the stage set is conceived, painted, defined by men. Men have written the play, have directed the show, interpreted the meanings of the action. They have assigned themselves the most interesting, most heroic parts, giving women the supporting roles. As the women become aware of the difference in the way they fit into the play, they ask for more equality in the role assignments. They upstage the men at times, at other times they pinch-hit for a missing male performer. The women finally, after considerable struggle, win the right of access to equal role assignment, but first they must “qualify.” The terms of their qualifications” are again set by the men; men are the judges of how women measure up; men grant or deny admission. They give preference to docile women and to those who fit their job-descriptions accurately. Men punish, by ridicule, exclusion, or ostracism, any woman who assumes the right to interpret her own role or -worst of all sins - the right to rewrite the script.It takes considerable time for the women to understand that getting “equal” parts will not make them equal, as long as the script, the props, the stage setting, and the direction are firmly held by men. When the women begin to realize that and cluster together between the acts, or even during the performance, to discuss what to do about it, this play comes to an end.”-Gerda Lerner, The Creation of Patriarchy I’m Amy McPhie Allebest, and this is "Breaking Down Patriarchy."On this podcast when we say “Breaking Down Patriarchy,” we mean it in both senses of the word. We mean we want to “break it down” as in, understand it. We want to study Patriarchy as deeply and thoroughly as we can so that we can see the roots of this system, and understand how things have come to be the way they are today. And we’re not gonna lie, we also mean we want to “break down Patriarchy” in terms of dismantling it.But we have a specific vision of how we want to accomplish this deconstruction. Returning to Gerda Lerner’s analogy where men and women are participating in a play together, in close proximity to each other and interconnected with each other, if someone starts swinging around a sledgehammer, trying to bring the set down, two things are likely to happen: one, the hammer will probably hit people in the face – maybe other women, or maybe men, who didn’t build the set or write the script either and are just doing their best trying to play the roles they were taught. Some of my very favorite people in the world are men – my dad, my brother, my brothers-in-law, my father-in-law, my sweet nephews, my male friends, my husband, who is my best friend and my son, who along with my daughters is the absolute joy of my life. I would not want anyone hitting these boys and men in the face with a hammer. So this podcast is not about women breaking down men. This is about women and men learning together and working together to create a system that is more just and happy for everyone.The other problem with swinging a sledgehammer around on a stage is that it just tends to destroy whatever happens to be nearby. If you’re standing on stage and you start swinging a hammer around, you might take out some lighting or rip up the curtains, but you're not going to bring the whole stage down or cause the entire company to stop the show. So to us, “breaking down patriarchy” means breaking it down intelligently and methodically.So here's how we are going to go about it: if you’ve ever taken a class on the History of Civilization or had a Liberal Arts curriculum in college, you’ll remember that students usually start with...

Amy is joined by guest Malia Morris to discuss The Chalice and The Blade by Riane Eisler. Topics include re-assessing hunter-gatherer societies, partnership and dominator models, and the civilization of ancient Minoan.Malia Morris is a performing artist and voice teacher in the Bay Area. She studied Music Performance and Sociology in her undergraduate at Arizona State University, where she graduated with honors. In graduate school, she studied Dramatic Arts at Harvard University. Malia was awarded a thesis prize for her research on Broadway director Diane Paulus. Her research was selected for presentation at Harvard Symposium.

Amy is joined by guest Sherri Crawford to begin their discussion of The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner. This episode is Part One of Two and covers topics spanning from prehistory through Mesopotamian civilization and the Near Eastern GoddessesSherrie Crawford was born in Utah, the fifth of six children, and grew up in Arizona. She graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Social Work, and completed a Master’s degree in Social Work from Boise State University. She is an elementary school counselor, and lives in Idaho with her husband and four children. Sherrie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, nature, adventures, learning, and any time spent in any body of water.

Amy is joined by guest Sherri Crawford to conclude their discussion of The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner. This episode is Part Two of Two and covers topics spanning from Hebrew civilization through Aristotle and Ancient Greece. Sherrie Crawford was born in Utah, the fifth of six children, and grew up in Arizona. She graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Social Work, and completed a Master’s degree in Social Work from Boise State University. She is an elementary school counselor, and lives in Idaho with her husband and four children. Sherrie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, nature, adventures, learning, and any time spent in any body of water.

Amy is joined by guest Sophie Allebest for a discussion of the religious figure of Mary. Topics include the Gospel of Paul, artists’ depictions of Mary, and the power of personal ritual.Sophie Allebest is first and foremost, a Pisces. She loves Art, Architecture, History, and rainy days. She enjoys the ancient art of rhetoric and debate (i.e., arguing), and swimming in a freezing ocean or pool. When she’s not working hard at school and art, Sophie loves spending time with her family, friends, and cat.

Amy is joined by guest Janette Canare for a discussion of The Creation of Feminist Consciousness by Gerda Lerner. Topics include the erasure of women’s history, overcoming gender-based barriers to education, and early examples of women’s literature.Janette Canare was born and raised in Virginia, but has lived in California since moving to Silicon Valley for a tech start up in the early 90s. Her parents immigrated from the Philippines, moving to Norfolk in the mid-1960s, where her dad was in the Navy. These days, she is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Liberal Arts at Stanford University. She enjoys being outdoors—whether hiking, gardening, or for photography. She also loves art, theatre, and travelling.

Amy is joined by guest Lindsay Allebest for a discussion of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen by Olympe de Gouges. Topics include the French Revolution, the origins of natural rights, the Veil of Ignorance.Lindsay Allebest is currently a student at Boston University, where she studies History and Liberal Arts, as well as Spanish and Ancient Greece. Although she grew up in the sunny Bay Area in California, she loves living on the East Coast and finally getting some use out of her favorite plaid scarf. When she is not busy writing essays for school, Lindsay loves to sing, play board games with friends and family, and gaze lovingly at her cat Minerva. One of my favorite things to do with my reading partner and oldest child, Lindsay, is to make dinner together. Or sometimes I request that she read out loud from her textbooks or talk to me about her college classes while I cook. Lindsay taught me so many things on this episode, just as she teaches me constantly in everyday life.

Amy is joined by guest Dr. Meagan Cahoon Alder to conclude their discussion of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft. This episode is Part Two of Two and covers Wollstonecraft’s thoughts on women’s education, fashion, religion, and chivalry.Dr. Meagan Cahoon Alder is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is in private practice and works primarily with couples. She studied psychology in undergrad and went on to receive a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2005. Ten years later, she went back to school and got a PhD, specializing in trauma and couple relationships. She is married to her best friend and they have three children together. Her mother, who is battling cancer, lives with them and together this three generation household keeps her on her toes. When she is not working or family-ing, she would ideally be watching live musical theater.

Amy is joined by guest Dr. Meagan Cahoon Alder to begin their discussion of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft. This episode is Part One of Two and covers Wollstonecraft’s biography and historical context, pertinent authors of the Enlightenment, and the balance between reason and emotion. Dr. Meagan Cahoon Alder is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is in private practice and works primarily with couples. She studied psychology in undergrad and went on to receive a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2005. Ten years later, she went back to school and got a PhD, specializing in trauma and couple relationships. She is married to her best friend and they have three children together. Her mother, who is battling cancer, lives with them and together this three generation household keeps her on her toes. When she is not working or family-ing, she would ideally be watching live musical theater.

Amy is joined by Jennie Austin Preece to discuss On the Equality of the Sexes by Judith Sargent Murray. Topics include the artfulness of clothing, bringing men into the emotional sphere, and reinterpreting the story of Eve. Jennie Austin Preece was born and reared in the great potato-loving state of Idaho. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English/Humanities teaching at Brigham Young University. From there, she traveled down the roads of teaching mothering, writing, and eventually found herself in Cambridge, MA, where she earned her master’s degree at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. After migrating back west to Denver with her family, Jennie founded LemonED LLC, an education consulting business. When she isn’t creating curriculum or perfecting prose, you can find her dabbling in poetry, hiking with her kids and husband, traveling (when possible), or eating anything with peanut butter and chocolate.

Amy is joined by guest Rebecca Archibald to discuss Letters on the Equality of the Sexes by Sarah Grimké. Topics include abolition, the ideology of separate spheres, and marriage as a means of survival. Rebecca Archibald grew up in the mountains of Utah with 5 siblings. After graduating from BYU, she moved east for graduate school where she got her Master’s in Teaching Writing. Since, she has moved back and forth across the country, living in 7 states. In each place, one of the first things she did was to find the library. She loves to read, write, teach others to write, and do anything outside in the mountains or near the ocean. She now lives in Southern California with her husband Jared and their 5 kids. Rebecca is one of the world’s worst selfie takers (hence the picture) but one of the best at rationalizing a need for chocolate.

Amy is joined by guest Courtney McPhie to discuss speeches from the Seneca Falls Convention. Topics include how to recruit men as feminist allies, key arguments for suffrage, and the complex relationships between Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Frederick Douglass. Courtney McPhie experienced a typical awakening to social justice in high school, but took until college to call herself a feminist. A voracious reader and podcast-listener, Courtney lives in Northern Virginia, in the DC Metro area. She completed her graduate studies at George Mason University and holds a masters degree in education, which she uses as a high school English teacher in Fairfax County. She works largely with English Language Learners, mostly asylum-seekers who have come from Central America in the last three years. Courtney lives with her husband and three cute kids in a Colonial house on a hill.

Amy is joined by Rayna Clay MacKay to discuss the speech ‘Ain’t I A Woman?’ by Sojourner Truth. Topics include the history and multiple versions of this speech, microaggressions, and the legacy of racism in America.Rayna Clay MacKay is a wife, mom, and Obstetric Anesthesiologist. She married a dreamy Scotsman for much more than his accent and gained two fantastic bonus kids as a result. They added three more kiddos to the mix, including identical twin boys, and a daughter. They also have the best Cavoodle in the world named Hamish. She is a firm believer that differences are what make us great, and they should be applauded and supported. As she’s gotten older and wiser, She’s found her voice becoming louder championing for the injustices in the medical system, and society as a whole. Her hope is that the future is more glorious with a rainbow of differing people and opinions that are equally acknowledged.

Amy is joined by Franceskay Allebes to discuss The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill. Topics include the burden of proof for equality, the veil of ignorance, and complementarianism. Franceskay Allebes is a first generation American, born to parents who immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands after World War II. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a Master’s in education from UCLA, and has worked as an Art teacher and Art therapist. She loves her husband, her three amazing, creative children, learning, and adventuring in the outdoors.

Amy is joined by guest Kayleen Asbo to discuss The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Topics include the history of gnostic texts, the gender of the Holy Spirit, and the value of self-knowledge. Kayleen Asbo is a passionate scholar: a cultural historian, musician, writer and teacher who weaves myth, music, psychology, history and art with experiential learning. A faculty member of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Kayleen also teaches regularly for the Osher Life Long Learning Institutes at UC Berkeley, Sonoma State University and Dominican University. Her classes on a wide array of topics ranging from Depth Psychology to Dante to the History of Classical Music have been hailed as “inspirational”, “fascinating and compelling”, “transformational” and “truly life changing” . Her favorite description came from an event producer who introduced her as a cross between Joseph Campbell, Leonard Bernstein and Wonder Woman. In 2020, Kayleen joined the faculty of Ubiquity University where she will be offering online courses for both graduate students and lay learners on the wisdom traditions of the world, with a focus on the Sacred Feminine.

Amy is joined by guest Shannon Hyatt Johnson to discuss The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Topics include hysteria, gaslighting, and the ideology of separate spheres.Shannon Hyatt Johnson grew up in the Western U.S., graduated from BYU, and is currently working and studying at Stanford. She likes watching tv that provokes impassioned family discussions with her husband and four daughters. Lately, that includes Derry Girls, Cobra Kai, and Ted Lasso. She loves the f-word. Both “feminist,” and the other one.

Amy is joined by guest Shauna Rensch to discuss The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Topics include structural inequity, the panopticon of patriarchy, and contemporary feminist awakenings.Shauna Rensch is a wife and mother of four kids ages 15 to 5. She grew up in the north suburbs of Chicago but moved to Arizona with her family at the end of high school. She started at ASU but took time off to get married and have her first child. She went back to school in order to complete a bachelor’s degree at NAU and started teaching kindergarten. She has taught from kindergarten up through sixth grade and completed a master’s in elementary education from NAU in 2015. She has taken the last two years off from teaching but looks forward to more work within the education field in the future. Shauna loves reading, long walks with beautiful views, and road trips with her family.

Amy is joined by guest Dr. Amy Osmond Cook to discuss the speech “The Fundamental Principle of a Republic” delivered by Anna Howard Shaw. Topics include white prejudice in the suffrage movement, arguments against the right to vote, and work-life balance for mothers. Dr. Amy Osmond Cook was born and raised in Provo, Utah, the daughter of musicians (her mother was an opera-singer; her father was one of the original four Osmond brothers). She obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree at BYU, and a PhD from the University of Utah in Organizational Rhetoric. She works as the CMO of Simplus, an Infosys company, and founder of Osmond Marketing. She lives in Southern California and loves spending time with her husband and five kids.

Amy is joined by guest Courtney McPhie to discuss the speeches “Morality and Birth Control” and “The Case for Birth Control” by Margaret Sanger. Topics include marriage as ownership, modesty rules, and sex education. Courtney McPhie grew up in Colorado, and while she loves the rolling hills of Virginia, she misses the Rocky Mountains. Courtney is a high school English teacher outside Washington, DC, where she fights for equity and representation in the classroom. Another highlight about Courtney is she loves podcasts! Her favorite is NPR’s Code Switch. She has loved participating in Breaking Down Patriarchy because her undergrad offerings of women’s studies courses was extremely limited, so she feels like she is getting the solid education in feminist lit she always wanted.

Amy is joined by the show’s first male guest, Eric Allebest, to discuss men’s questions and concerns about Breaking Down Patriarchy. Questions include whether patriarchy is a natural construct, if masculinity and patriarchy are connected, and what’s wrong with patriarchy in the first place?