Disappearing Spines

As the hosts slide to the end of 2024, they are noticing that more and more organizations are losing courage in the face of challenges to DEI work. In this week's episode, Drs Shaunna and Lisa discuss the lack of regard for women's lives, policy rollbacks, and contentious holiday disagreements. 

Word of the Week [1:45]: Mansplaining is a combination of "man" and "explaining". This problematic behavior is condescending on so many levels.

Phase 1 [5:35]: Home Isn't Always Where the Heart Is: A Recent U.N. report noted that the majority of global femicides (murder of women) are committed in the home by a husband, partner, or family member. The home, often considered one of the safest spaces for people, is not so for many women around the world.

Phase 2 [20:00]: Wal-Mart Rollbacks: Usually Wal-Mart rolls back pricing, but in this case, they are rolling back DEI policies and practices. On the heels of the U.S. Presidential Election results, Dr. Shaunna gets into their sweeping changes -- including deprioritizing minority suppliers.

Phase 3 [32:50]: Home for the Holidays: Over a holiday meal, life, politics, and the state of society are bound to come up. Disagreements are rarely handled well, but a recent NPR podcast on the neuroscience of disagreement provides us all with some advice for those contentious moments.

Mentioned in the Show:

U.N. Report: 85,000 cases of femicide in 2023 - NPR

Femicides in 2023: Global estimates of intimate partner/family member femicides – U.N Report, Nov 25, 2024

Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being set alight by ex-boyfriend

Walmart Rolls Back its DEI Initiatives - NPR

The Science of Disagreeing Well - NPR (Short Wave podcast, aired Nov 24th, 2024)