Wine Against the Wall
In the U.S. context, the systems 'stay winning'! To live in community (for good or for bad), folks must function within these systems. But what happens when systems go unchecked and unimproved for years? Individuals who do not thrive within these unchecked and unchanged systems are victim-blamed for the dysfunction. In this week's podcast, Dr. Shaunna and Dr. Lisa address systems like workplace mandates, the business of health care, and lack of support for mothers.
Word of the Week [1:50]: Coffee-Badging: Don't be ashamed if you've never heard of this word -- we hadn't either! Dr. Lisa defines this act of defiance in the workplace as employers and employees attempt to define post-pandemic work requirements.
Phase 1 [5:00]: Workplace Trust: Recently, PriceWaterhouseCoopers announced their in-office requirement was changing from 2 - 3 days to 60% in-office and client facing work each week. We are seeing this creeping trend of pushing employees back to the office in a lot of places. The rub? Employees at PriceWaterhouseCoopers adherence to this new requirement will be tracked through location data. Surveil much?
Phase 2 [16:30]: Cesarean Sections and Black Women: Dr. Shaunna is not alone -- an overwhelming number of Black mothers have c-section births. A new study reported by the NYT notes that across 68 hospitals and 1 million births in New Jersey, Black mothers are 20% more likely to have a c-section than white women even when health backgrounds and needs are comparable. If you want to know why -- follow the money.
Phase 3 [32:25]: "Mom Needs Wine": ...and if giving birth wasn't challenging enough, let's talk about support for mothers as they raise the children. Celeste Yvonne, an author and sobriety coach, noted that "We've normalized the correlation between alcohol and motherhood like peanut butter and jelly" through 'mommy wine culture'. We dissect why this is just a distraction from larger, more persistent problems.
Resources in the show:
State of Hybrid Work 2023 | US Report (owllabs.com)
Doctors Give Black Women Unneeded C-Sections to Fill Operating Rooms, Study Suggests - NYT
Doctors more likely to perform unnecessary C-sections on Black mothers, study says - CBS News
