Patriarchy, Feminist Solidarity and a World on Fire - Natasha Walter
How do the crises of climate breakdown, growing economic inequality, and rising misogyny intersect, and what is the connection with patriarchy and men’s practices? Why do the impacts of the climate crisis – such as increased men’s violence, food scarcity, and 'natural' disasters – fall disproportionately on women and girls? How is 'strongman' political leadership consolidating power and systematically rolling back women's rights and undermining environmental action? What is the role of the broligarchy, AI, and the manosphere in accelerating these harms, spreading misogyny and damaging the lives of boys and men as well as women and girls?
These are some of the key questions we discuss with Natasha Walter, inspired by her new book ‘Feminism for a World on Fire’. Natasha highlights how feminist movements urgently need to navigate internal divisions, resist the individualisation of activism, and build coalitions which can respond collectively to the challenges of the nature and climate emergencies and hypermasculine authoritarianism. Drawing inspiration from examples such as the women-led Kurdish militia in Rojava, Syria and her 15-year directorship of the UK charity Women for Refugee Women, Natasha argues that care must become a core economic and societal priority, to which men must contribute. We conclude by exploring Natasha’s reflections on her long-standing involvement in feminist activism, and her confidence in men's capacity to challenge patriarchy and act as meaningful allies.
Natasha has worked as a journalist for the Guardian, Independent and Observer newspapers in the UK, and is the founder and former director of Women for Refugee Women. She has been Visiting Professor of Women’s Rights at Cambridge University and is currently Honorary Professor at the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice at Queen Mary University of London. Her previous books include ‘Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism’, ‘The New Feminism’, and the memoir ‘Before the Light Fades’.
Episode timeline
- Intro
- The relationship between climate breakdown, economic inequality, and misogyny (03:18-05:13)
- The gendered impacts of climate change (05:13-10:00)
- Men in the driving seat of global heating (10:00-11:56)
- Rising heat and violence against women (11:56-14:08)
- ‘Strongmen’ rolling back women’s rights and environmental action (14:08-17:32)
- Loss of faith in democratic institutions (17:32-22:07)
- The role of ‘tech’ companies and the ‘broligarchy’ (22:07-26:56)
- How men can help to confront these harms as allies (26:56-31:25)
- Break
- Building alliances in the face of divisions among feminists (31:35-35:14)
- Learning from Rojava (35:14-39:55)
- Natasha’s experience of founding Women for Refugee Women (39:55-44:15)
- Centring care and connection for social change (44:15-46:12)
- Natasha’s activist journey and her move into environmentalism (46:12-49:35)
- Avoiding replicating patriarchal dynamics within social movements (49:35-55:03)
- Conclusion (55:03-01:04:29)
More info
- ‘Woman of the Hour’ film
- ‘Human rights violated by Swiss inaction on climate, ECHR rules in landmark case’ (Guardian)
- ‘The Future Starts with Us’ by Gordon Brown
- ‘Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism’ book
- ‘End Times Fascism’ by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
- ‘‘Woman, life, freedom’: The Syrian feminists who forged a new world in a land of war’ (Guardian, by Natasha)
- ‘The revolutionary women of Rojava are in grave danger. That has consequences for us all’ (Guardian, by Natasha)
- 'Nearly all women arriving on small boats have been raped, says Shabana Mahmood' (Guardian)
- Peter Kropotkin
Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors. Please do not reproduce without permission.
