S1 E9. Woman and Cities: Leslie Kern, Feminist City

The Story of Woman

In this episode, I talk with urban scholar Leslie Kern about her book, Feminist City.

We tend to think about our built environment as fixed and nothing to do with sexism, discrimination or bias but like everything else in our world, our cities are shaped by gender, as they were designed for one type of man, at the exclusion of women.

Cities aren’t built to accommodate women’s bodies, women’s needs, or women’s desires. So what would a feminist city look like?

In our conversation, Leslie exposes what is hidden in plain sight: the social inequalities embedded into our cities, homes, and neighbourhoods, and how we might change this. Some topics of discussion include:

1. What is “the female fear”, and why women are not being irrational in feeling fearful
2. Navigating the city as a parent
3. Why women often need headphones in order to be left alone (”smile, sweetheart!”)
4. Street safety and why policing is not the answer to keeping women safe
5. How the lack of public infrastructure for care work deepens inequality among women as we participate in multiple layers of exploitation just to keep ourselves afloat
6. By reimagining our cities we can build more just and sustainable environments for all

And more!

Powered by The Trouble Club: use the code STORY25 to get 25% off all Trouble ticket sales and membership payments

The quotes you will hear read during the interview are taken directly from the book, Feminist City.

Transcription is available here

Buy the book: US | UK

Mentioned in the episode:

• Blue Monday by Nicci French
• Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
• Feminism Interrupted by Lola Olufemi
• Sex and The Revitalized City by Leslie Kern
• Safetipin app

--

Become a Patron for access to bonus content and to support the podcast, or buy me a (metaphorical) coffee

Follow along: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Tik Tok | Youtube | LinkedIn

Subscribe to the newsletter

Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts - and be sure to rate and review to help other people find us!

Explore The Story of Woman book recommendations in the US and the UK - purchases support the podcast AND local bookstores 🤩

www.thestoryofwomanpodcast.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices