White Picket Fence

Hatred Rolls Downhill Oct 02, 2025

Nearly a century ago, Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin, Germany became the first establishment in the world to offer comprehensive medical services, counselling, and sex education to the LGBTQ community. The Institute reflected the progressive values that were foundational to the Weimar Republic, Germany’s first democratic government. But authoritarianism was on the rise. And to the Nazi Party, the Institute was an existential threat.

What we’re experiencing today in the U.S. is frightening. But it’s not unprecedented. The weaponization of gender and sexuality is a universal feature of authoritarianism. In this episode, Julie digs more deeply into the connection between attacks on women and LGBTQ people and authoritarianism, by looking at other autocratic regimes, both past and present.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's Gender Whiplash Sep 25, 2025

America is facing a gender backlash—a backlash so swift and severe, it feels more like a whiplash. Right now, no group is more at risk than trans Americans. On his first day back in the White House, Trump signed a controversial executive order meant to deny trans identity and push transgender people out of public life. Since then, attacks on trans rights—trans existence—have become increasingly hostile and widespread. But even as many conservatives work overtime to focus the public's ire on trans people, it's clear that their attempt to enforce a strict gender binary could have much broader consequences. Consequences that will reach all Americans.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 6 Coming Soon! Sep 11, 2025

Right now, we're in the midst of a gender backlash. A growing number of voices have started calling for a return to a simpler time. A time, they say, when men were men and women were women. But "gender" is being used as Trojan horse, a way to advance an extremist agenda that stands to harm millions of Americans. This season on White Picket Fence, we're pulling back the curtain. We'll examine the ways this backlash is showing up in our policies, our culture, and the social media content we scroll past every day. And we're asking what becomes possible when we imagine a better future -- and what we owe the next generation. New episodes drop this September.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We Won a Webby Award! And – A Sneak Peek at Our New Season Jul 10, 2025

We’re thrilled to share that our fifth season of White Picket Fence won the Webby Award for the best News & Politics limited series! It’s such an honor to be recognized and to continue to shed light on the manufactured “marriage panic” that, if anything, has only grown more pronounced since the season was released. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, please check it out and share with your friends. And stay tuned for our next season dropping this fall… check out this sneak peek.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How We Build Family Jul 18, 2024

When host Julie Kohler became a mom, a community of care sprouted up around her. The people who showed up to support her and her family were essential -- and they would be whether or not she was a single mom. All season, we've dissected the institution of marriage in the US. But what are we missing when talk only about marriage? For the final episode of this season, we're asking what the future of family could look like if marriage wasn't the ideal. We're talking to people who have created networks of support within and around marriage and examining the language and policies that can enable us to lead the lives we want to live. Whether that includes marriage, or... something else!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 Ways Jul 11, 2024

We’ve spent a lot of time this season investigating the current marriage panic. The pro-marriage crew is sounding alarm bells that if we don’t start marrying, and quit divorcing, things in the U.S. will only get worse. But our theory on this show is that the path to stability and happiness actually leads in the opposite direction. What if we could look beyond our shores, at a country that was taking a very different approach? This episode, we’re visiting Denmark: One of the countries that consistently, year after year after year, has some of the happiest citizens in the world. And we’re taking a look at Danish culture around marriage and divorce and relationships and family to see if we can learn some secrets from the experts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Divorce Dilemma Jul 03, 2024

In 1969, California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the country's first no-fault divorce bill into law. Since then, Americans have been able to leave their marriages without having to prove their spouse committed any wrongdoing. But now, there's a growing movement on the right to make ending a marriage much harder. This week, host Julie Kohler digs into this current attack on no-fault divorce — and rolls back the clock to explore the "Wild West" of American divorce laws that existed before.

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The Mess Moynihan Made Jun 27, 2024

In 1965, a government report on Black families that was never supposed to be public leaked... and permanently influenced how our country thought about marriage, poverty, and personal responsibility. It was called the Moynihan Report. The report affirmed the belief that family structure – specifically, families headed by single mothers – caused people to be poor. This week, host Julie Kohler traces the roots and repercussions of the Moynihan report, and why the solutions to the issues it puts forth run far deeper than marriage.

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Exalted Status Jun 20, 2024

The idea that marriage is a fundamental, American institution isn’t just a cultural one – it has serious economic and legal implications. For most of its history, the U.S. has used marriage as a vessel to confer privilege and status onto some people, while marginalizing others. This week, our host, Julie Kohler, takes us on a historical marriage tour to examine how marriage achieved its exalted status, and how it became a tool – one that creates order, defines cultural norms, and maintains hierarchies of inequality.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Marriage Panic Jun 13, 2024

Maybe you’ve noticed it -- we're in the midst of a moral panic about marriage. Pundits and politicians have become awfully concerned that people are marrying later, and less often. That a growing number of adults are living alone, without a spouse or partner. That divorce remains relatively common. That many women are having and raising kids as single mothers. Now, conservatives waxing poetic about family values is hardly new. But this is more than just hand-wringing with a microphone -- these folks are actually doing something about it. In the first episode of our new season, we're exploring the return of the marriage panic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 5 Coming Soon! Jun 07, 2024

This season, we're diving into the hallowed institution of marriage. We want to know why so many people are getting so whipped up over the ways that Americans are — or are not — forming relationships and building families. Why marriage is becoming, once again, the catch-all policy solution for all of our country's challenges. And what becomes possible when we broaden our imaginations around what relationships can look like. We'll go beyond the rosy sheen of love and commitment and expose the darker side to all of this marriage talk — one that we have to pay attention to, if we want to maintain our social progress in this country.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beyond Maternalism Apr 12, 2023

Organizing around motherhood works. It can activate women politically by helping them tap into a powerful identity. But maternal activism can also have some unintended consequences that don't advance justice. So in the final episode of the season, we're asking this season’s guests: should the left still be playing into maternalist politics? Or can we evolve beyond it — to a kind of politics that focuses on values, not a fixed identity, and makes space for all caregivers?

This season's cover art features a photograph by Jonathan Wilkins.

White Picket Fence is supported by Planned Parenthood. For more information or to book an in-person or virtual appointment, visit plannedparenthood.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shared Fate Apr 05, 2023

Much of the motherhood activism that is lifted up in our politics portrays women in a certain way: as uniquely moral, even apolitical, actors who were compelled to take action because they fear for their children’s safety. It’s a myth that's highly racially coded and obscures the realities of motherhood. The truth? Motherhood is political. Moms are political. And when we start acknowledging that and centering the most marginalized moms in our activism — their needs and experiences — we end up building better policies for all of us.

This season's cover art features a photograph by Jonathan Wilkins.

White Picket Fence is supported by Planned Parenthood. For more information or to book an in-person or virtual appointment, visit plannedparenthood.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Spark Mar 29, 2023

The political identity of "mother" is not owned by the right. There's also a rich history of mothers working to advance progressive change. Yet the framing of much of this activism—a mother spurred to action when awakened to a threat to her child's safety—remains grounded in an image of motherhood that is riddled with race and class privilege. Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, began her activism journey as a stay-at-home suburban mom of five who felt compelled to fight for common-sense gun violence prevention in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting. But when Shannon met Rep. Lucy McBath, then a mother grieving the loss of her son, Jordan, to gun violence, something shifted. The more Moms Demand Action expanded their focus and passed the microphone to Black women who had been working on the issue for years, the more powerful Moms Demand Action became.

This season's cover art features a photograph by Jonathan Wilkins.

White Picket Fence is supported by Planned Parenthood. For more information or to book an in-person or virtual appointment, visit plannedparenthood.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tradwife, Tradlife Mar 22, 2023

In the summer of 2022, Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, flew to Texas to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Onstage, his tirades against immigration, gender studies, and LGBTQ rights were met with roars of approval. Orban has made it his mission to codify traditional family values into law—and dismantle democracy in the process. American conservatives are taking note. And paving the way for these extremist policies is a group of social media "momfluencers" touting the glory of traditional family life. Are Moms for Liberty and #tradwives the harbingers of a backslide when it comes to women’s rights...and American democracy?

This season's cover art features a photograph by Jonathan Wilkins.

White Picket Fence is supported by Planned Parenthood. For more information or to book an in-person or virtual appointment, visit plannedparenthood.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mothers of Conservatism Mar 15, 2023

Moms for Liberty didn't appear out of thin air. They're building on a long history of white, conservative women who, for decades, have used their motherhood as a tool for political credibility. And it all started in 1960s California, where thousands of middle-class moms transformed into suburban warriors and helped build the modern-day conservative movement.

This season's cover art features a photograph by Jonathan Wilkins.

White Picket Fence is supported by Planned Parenthood. For more information or to book an in-person or virtual appointment, visit plannedparenthood.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mama Bears Mar 08, 2023

In the fall of 2020, a group of mothers gathered around a kitchen table. They were concerned that public school administrators were making decisions about their children's health and education that overstepped their bounds. It felt like they were losing control over their kids. So they decided to band together and fight for their parental rights. Pretty compelling, right? It's hard to argue with moms. The GOP knows that. And that's why they've weaponized our reverence for motherhood by propping up Moms for Liberty — the “grassroots” organization that’s leading the charge in the culture wars in American public schools.

This season's cover art features a photograph by Jonathan Wilkins.

White Picket Fence is supported by Planned Parenthood. For more information or to book an in-person or virtual appointment, visit plannedparenthood.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 4 Coming Soon! Feb 22, 2023

The image of mothers — particularly white suburban mothers — has always carried a lot of weight in American politics. But why? This season, we’re exploring the political potency of motherhood. We'll investigate how right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty are making headlines by calling for classroom restrictions on discussions of race, gender, and sexuality. Their agenda is harmful, but their methods have proven effective. And we’re investigating how progressive moms can harness the power of motherhood for justice — and the risks that come with it.

This season's cover art features a photograph by Jonathan Wilkins.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Universal Pre-K and the Path Ahead with Rep. Manning Mar 29, 2022

Although the Build Back Better Act could not deliver on all the care economy issues, there is still reason for hope. With a bipartisan oriented strategy, some of these issues can still get through the House and the Senate – universal pre-k being one of those. On our final episode of the series, Jenny and Julie are joined by Representative Kathy Manning to discuss the importance of universal pre-k and what the future holds for care infrastructure.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cost of Child Care with Rep. Clark Mar 22, 2022

The American child care system is full of contradiction. For individual families, care costs keep rising. But many caregivers are barely paid a living wage. The Build Back Better Act would have been the first federal intervention in this sector in fifty years. Without it, this broken cycle continues. On today’s crossover episode with Women belong in the House, Jenny and Julie are joined by Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark to discuss the precarious state of our care economy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paid Leave with Rep. Underwood Mar 15, 2022

The need to take family or medical leave touches every American. Yet, despite overwhelming popularity, the U.S. stands alone as the only industrialized nation without paid leave. In this crossover episode, Jenny and Julie are joined by Representative Lauren Underwood to unpack why America continues to lag behind and the ongoing political fight around this crucial issue.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Child Tax Credit with Rep. DeLauro Mar 08, 2022

In this new season of Women belong in the House x White Picket Fence, we’re examining America’s caregiving crisis. In our first episode, Jenny and Julie explore the child tax credit with one of its longtime supporters -- Rep. Rosa DeLauro.

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Coming Soon: WPF x Women belong in the House Mar 01, 2022

White Picket Fence is continuing our conversation around the caregiving crisis, this time, with the help of another WMN show: Women belong in the House. Catch Julie on new episodes of Women belong in the House discussing the critical caregiving policies that we still hope could pass in Congress.

Check out Women belong in the House

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Finding A New Way Dec 21, 2021

So many things came together that could have made this moment different. The ascendance of a new progressive economics. A more intersectional gender justice movement. Greater numbers of women political leaders. Multi-racial organizing that is centering women of color and making caregiving a central political issue. But once again, a handful of politicians have prioritized personal success over the well-being of the many.

In our final episode of the season, we're honoring the work that brought the U.S. closer to public investments in caregiving than at any point in history. And talking about the cultural work that still needs to be done, for tangible changes to take root.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When "Career Feminism" Won Dec 14, 2021

When it comes to the failure of the 1971 Comprehensive Childcare Development Act, it's easy to point a finger at conservatives. But that's not the whole story.

This week, join host Julie as she dives into the battle between care feminism and career feminism, and how the winner of that match up has impacted women's right advocacy for the last 50 years.

If this season's topic resonates with you, we want to hear about it! Leave us a voicemail at 212-655-5048 with your questions, ideas, experiences, and get a chance to be featured on the show. Check out our website, www.wondermedianetwork.com/white-picket-fence, for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rise of Neoliberalism Dec 07, 2021

This week, Julie dives deep into the economic ideology that arose alongside social conservatism and prevented public investments in care.

We’ll break down what “neoliberalism” is and what the rise of it has meant for family life -- how the mix of low taxes, deregulation, and privatization has made family life more economically precarious for the vast majority of Americans.

If this season's topic resonates with you, we want to hear about it! Leave us a voicemail at 212-655-5048 with your questions, ideas, experiences, and get a chance to be featured on the show. Check out our website, www.wondermedianetwork.com/white-picket-fence, for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Could Have Been Nov 30, 2021

How did the U.S. become a society that treats caregiving as a private family responsibility rather than a public good?

In this episode, Julie explores the longstanding and continued role racism has played in preventing investments in public goods that would benefit everyone, including caregiving. We’ll also do a deep dive into the 1970s when the U.S. nearly invested in universal childcare -- and how fear was deployed to block it.

If this season's topic resonates with you, we want to hear about it! Leave us a voicemail at 212-655-5048 with your questions, ideas, experiences, and get a chance to be featured on the show. Check out our website, www.wondermedianetwork.com/white-picket-fence, for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nuclear Family Myth Nov 23, 2021

This week, host Julie Kohler travels back to the mid-20th century to examine the creation of the “traditional” nuclear family — a myth only made possible through the exploitation of Black women’s domestic labor — and how the family values and nostalgia of this era continue to exist in today’s debate over “caring economy” policies.

If this season's topic resonates with you, we want to hear about it! Leave us a voicemail at 212-655-5048 with your questions, ideas, experiences, and get a chance to be featured on the show. Check out our website, www.wondermedianetwork.com/white-picket-fence, for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Breaking Point Nov 16, 2021

In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic became a global health crisis. But from it bore a whole set of complementary crises: an economic crisis and a caregiving crisis.

The pandemic erased more than 30 years of gains in women’s labor force participation, while simultaneously leaving women to shoulder the majority of the family responsibilities. But the conditions for these crises existed long before COVID-19 hit American shores. How exactly did we get here?

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Prologue Nov 01, 2021

Welcome to season 2 of White Picket Fence. We're investigating the caregiving crisis that has left millions of Americans —including our host Julie Kohler, a single mom — on the verge of cracking. Raising kids is challenging enough. Why does it have to be this hard?

If this season's topic resonates with you, we want to hear about it! Leave us a voicemail at 212-655-5048 with your questions, ideas, experiences, and get a chance to be featured on the show. Check out our website, www.wondermedianetwork.com/white-picket-fence, for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 2 coming soon! Oct 12, 2021

In two weeks, we're launching a new season of White Picket Fence. This season, we're diving into the childcare crisis. In the meantime, we want to hear from you! Leave us a voicemail at 212-655-5048 with your questions, ideas, experiences, and get a chance to be featured on the show. Check out our website, www.wondermedianetwork.com/white-picket-fence, for more information. Season 2 coming on Nov 1.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Work Ahead Dec 23, 2020

To join a multiracial movement for women's equity, check out Supermajority.

To join an online community working to bring women together and take action, check out Pantsuit Nation x Supermajority, GALvanize USA, or "Suburban Housewives" Against Trump.

White Picket Fence is a Wonder Media Network production.

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A Multiracial Democracy Dec 16, 2020

White Picket Fence is a Wonder Media Network production.

To join a multiracial movement for women's equity, check out Supermajority.

To join a community working to bring women together and take action, check out Pantsuit Nation x Supermajority, National Domestic Workers Alliance, or ISAIAH/Faith in Minnesota.

To learn more about the ongoing fight for gender justice, check out the National Women's Law Center.

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The Awakening Dec 09, 2020

White Picket Fence is a Wonder Media Network production.

To join an online community working to bring women together and take action, check out Pantsuit Nation x Supermajority, GALvanize USA, or Red, Wine and Blue.

Read up on the organizing movements sweeping across middle America, and the history of women's anger.

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Moral Majority Dec 02, 2020

White Picket Fence is a Wonder Media Network production.

To join a multiracial movement for women's equity, check out Supermajority.

To join an online community working to bring women together and take action, check out Pantsuit Nation x Supermajority, GALvanize USA, or "Suburban Housewives" Against Trump.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American Dream Nov 25, 2020

White Picket Fence is a Wonder Media Network production.

To join a multiracial movement for women's equity, check out Supermajority.

To join an online community working to bring women together and take action, check out Pantsuit Nation x Supermajority, GALvanize USA, or "Suburban Housewives" Against Trump.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legacy Nov 18, 2020

To join a multiracial movement for women's equity, check out Supermajority.

To join an online community working to bring women together and take action, check out Pantsuit Nation x Supermajority, GALvanize USA, or "Suburban Housewives" Against Trump.

Throughout the series, we'll make more resources available to listeners. Stay tuned for more.

White Picket Fence is a Wonder Media Network production.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prologue Oct 07, 2020

First and foremost, stepping up requires voting. Visit www.whenweallvote.org/wmn to check your voter registration and make a plan to cast your ballot.

To join a multiracial movement for women's equity, check out Supermajority.

To join an online community working to bring women together and take action, check out Pantsuit Nation x Supermajority, GALvanize USA, or "Suburban Housewives" Against Trump.

Throughout the series, we'll make more resources available to listeners. Stay tuned for more.

White Picket Fence is a Wonder Media Network production.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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