The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO)

Latest Episodes:

Can Reality TV Get More Women into Political Office? Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

This season, host Reena Ninan and reporters across Africa will meet courageous women holding leaders accountable in various sectors, including healthcare, startups, and government. Specifically, we are looking at promises made about gender equality – and seeing if they have been delivered. For example, the government of Kenya pledged to end gender-based violence by 2026. And the ministry of health in Uganda is trying to eradicate yellow fever.It is ambitious to make these kinds of pledges. But are these leaders really delivering on these promises for women and girls?

For this first episode, we decided to cover a surprising program: a reality TV show. On Ms President, women compete to become the next “president” of Kenya, where they get training to become politicians – leaders we can hold accountable. This wasn’t a typical reality TV production. In fact, a nonprofit called Media Focus in Africa launched the show with the support of the EU and the Canadian government. Reporter Eunice Maina interviews contestant Nereah Amondi Oketch to find out how she fared on the show and whether Ms President was successful at getting more women into elected office.

Finally, we are conducting a listener survey to better understand what you like about the podcast and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. All participants in the survey who provide their email will be placed in a raffle to win a $100 Amazon gift card. To participate, follow this survey link. Thank you very much for your time and feedback.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/heropodcast

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Coming Soon: Season 5 Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

Season 5 of "The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women" (HER♀️) launches Tuesday, January 9th. This time, we are looking at promises made about gender equality – and seeing if they have been delivered. For example, the government of Kenya pledged to end gender-based violence by 2026. And the ministry of health in Uganda is trying to eradicate yellow fever.It is ambitious to make these kinds of pledges. But it is much harder to achieve these lofty goals. Are these leaders really delivering on these promises for women and girls?

Join us as host Reena Ninan and reporters across Africa meet courageous women holding leaders accountable in various sectors, including healthcare, startups, and government.

"The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women" is a Foreign Policy podcast funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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How Strengthening Women Strengthens Economies Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

Throughout this season, we’ve looked at how women are pushing back against legal, political, and cultural barriers to better themselves and their communities. And we’ve centered our conversations on the male allies who have made it their mission to fight gender inequities.

For this final episode of our season, we’re looking forward and talking to women in power. And not just any women in power – leaders who are advancing gender equality in their sectors.

First host Reena Ninan's talks to Ratna Sahay, Senior Advisor on Gender at the International Monetary Fund. Sahay shares data that shows how empowering women strengthens economies.

Then Reena speaks with Rachel Vogelstein who advises President Biden on Gender Policy. They discusses U.S. efforts to expand gender equality across the globe.

Show note:

Reena's conversation with Ratna Sahay first took place at Foreign Policy’s annual Her Power Summit. The next summit will be on October 25th. Feel free to contact podcasts@foreignpolicy.com if you’d like more details.

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Ending "Sex for Fish" in Kenya Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Kenya passed a number of gender reforms after a new constitution passed in 2010. It’s one thing to get the laws passed. But it’s another to get them implemented, especially in male-dominated sectors like fishing.

On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we’re looking at how Kenya’s legal reforms have created new opportunities for women in the fishing industry, such as the Fisheries Management and Development Act of 2016. However, women still face significant barriers in the fishing sector, including many reports of gender-based violence.

Reporter Thurea Mwadzaya visits a fishing community to see how policy developments are starting to take hold there, including talking to female leaders and male allies from Coastal Women in Fisheries. Then host Reena Ninan speaks with Margaret Gatonye, former CEO of the Aquaculture Association of Kenya. She helped advise the Kenyan government about the Fisheries Management and Development Act. Gatonye is currently pursuing a PhD in Global Governance at the University of Massachusetts, focusing in part on women in fishing in Kenya.

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The Challenging Economics of Women in Mining Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

Lynn Gitu is a program manager at the nonprofit IMPACT. They help decrease conflicts around natural resources in Africa and enable communities to benefit more from their local resources – rather than them getting stolen, for example, by armed militias. According to IMPACT research, Gitu says artisanal mining – or small-scale mining – accounts for about 90% of the minerals produced on the continent. And approximately 30% of artisanal miners in Africa are women.

Gitu asserts that mining is much more profitable than other fields for women on the continent. She explains, “Our research with women directly has shown us that when they are supported, they often earn 300 times more from the mining sector than from any other sector.” However, if women are not supported well, they reap much less of the rewards.

On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, reporter Leah Kahundevisits women artisanal stone miners in Uganda, as well as male allies helping these women advance in the industry. Then, host Reena Ninan picks up her conversation with Lynn Gitu, an IMPACT program leader in Uganda.

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How Men Are Trying to End Gender-Based Violence in South Africa Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

South Africa has the ignominious reputation of being the rape capital of the world and continues to battle an epidemic of gender-based violence. It is devastating for women and girls both physically and psychologically—but also economically. South Africa’s Mail & Guardian reports that the country lost about $2 billion in 2019 from the estimated costs of gender-based violence, including hospital bills, loss of productivity, and judicial costs.

On today’s episode of The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we talk to two groups of male allies in South Africa influencing fellow men in unique ways. First, reporter Elna Schutz talks with men from Sonke Gender Justice, including a man whose life changed because of a Sonke program he participated in while in prison. Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with Christopher Isike, a professor of political science at the University of Pretoria. He has conducted 10 years’ worth of qualitative research with men about why they are violent toward women and how to change their thought patterns.

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Do Gender Quotas Work? Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

Lesotho, a small, landlocked country located within South Africa, was ambitious about reaching gender parity at the turn of the century. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili in the 2000s and early 2010s, the country passed a number of gender equality reforms, addressing inequities in land ownership and marriage rights, among others.

Mosisili’s administration also imposed gender quotas in a rather unique way. In 2005, it implemented a randomized gender quota at the local level to allocate 30 percent of electoral seats to women candidates. And then in 2011, it tried to implement another gender quota for national parliamentary seats. However, both these measures had mixed results.

On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, reporter Pascalinah Kabi explores why Mosisili was so passionate about gender equality and what could have made his efforts more successful. Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with University of California, Berkeley, political science professor Amanda Clayton, who has studied the impact of gender quotas around the world—including in Lesotho.

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LISTENER SURVEY NOTE:

We are conducting a listener survey to better understand what you like about the podcast and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. All participants in the survey who provide their email will be placed in a raffle to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This is the final week to participate, so follow this survey link if you’d like to enter the raffle. Thank you very much for your time and feedback.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/heropodcast

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Religious Leaders as Advocates for Female Success Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

This season, host Reena Ninan explores the importance of male allies in advancing women’s rights and economic freedoms. The topic came up at FP’s 2022 Her Power Summit. There, Hana Brixi, the global director of gender at the World Bank, shared an anecdote from research the World Bank had conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. It found one group to be particularly effective in changing men’s and boys’ attitudes toward gender equality: local religious leaders.

In the first part of this episode, reporter Eunice Maina travels to central Kenya, where she meets with a pastor involved in a movement that advocates for gender equality and works to get more women into elected positions.

Then, in the second half of the episode, host Reena Ninan speaks with Prince Adeleke Adeleye of the Oka-Okoko Kingdom in Nigeria. He is on the executive steering committee of the Council of Traditional Leaders of Africa. He talks about the hands-on work he leads with men to overcome gender stereotypes.

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Coming Soon: Season 4 on Male Allies Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

Season 4 of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HER♀️) launches Tuesday, June 20th. This time around, host Reena Ninan and reporters across Africa are focusing on one theme: the role of male allies. When are they effective? Why are they doing this work? And how do they influence men and boys? We visit religious leaders in Kenya, interview a former politician in Lesotho, and talk to male allies changing men’s attitudes toward gender-based violence in South Africa, among others. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a Foreign Policy podcast funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Bonus Episode: Women's Financial Inclusion Davos Panel Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is many more women have bank accounts than before. Around 250 million women in the global south opened a financial account for the first time to receive government assistance, according to analysis by the Women’s World Banking’s 2021 Global Findex Database. Also for the first time, the gender gap in account ownership across developing economies fell. But data is also showing that many of these women are not retaining these accounts. What can be done to ensure these newly banked women remain in the financial system?

On a special bonus episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we first hear from a member of the Self Employed Women’s Association, a union of millions of female informal workers in India. They have drastically increased women’s digital financial inclusion since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Then, we share a conversation that first took place at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Foreign Policy editor in chief Ravi Agrawal sat down with global leaders committed to keeping newly banked women in the financial system. Agrawal first chats with Mary Ellen Iskenderian, president and CEO of Women’s World Banking, and Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (which is also one of this podcast’s funders). Then, Agrawal has an insightful discussion with Diane Karusisi, CEO of the Bank of Kigali, and Abubakar Suleiman, managing director and CEO of Sterling Bank. They share how they are changing their approach to banking to reach more women in Africa.

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