Feminism v. Patriarchy (Psst! It’s not Women versus Men)

As the COVID-19 crisis plays out and we all take a mandated break from each other — no sexist pun intended — it may be an opportune time to consider another kind of social distancing: sexism.

To women who ask, “What’s wrong with us?” and men who don’t feel personally responsible for the sexist culture we inhabit, Joanne Bagshaw says “It’s not you, it’s the patriarchy.” Furthermore, she offers solutions we all can use to confront sexism.

Bagshaw is a professor of psychology and women’s studies and the author of The Feminist Handbook: Practical Tools to Resist Sexism and Dismantle the Patriarchy.

As the title suggests, Bagshaw’s book is a primer of sorts on how to change the status quo. Our society is marked by high rates of rape, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. In turn, that reality results in high rates of depression, anxiety, PTSD and eating disorders. This conversation offers a path out of a dynamic that hurts everyone in our society.

Joanne Bagshaw teaches at Montgomery College and writes the popular feminist blog, The Third Wave for Psychology Today. She had this conversation with former Seattle City Council member and current interim Executive Director of NARAL Pro-choice Washington Kirsten Harris-Talley at Town Hall Seattle on March 3.

KUOW’s Sonya Harris recorded the event.