Women and democracy - the language of power
Thinking Allowed
BBC
4.4 • 997 Ratings
🗓️ 7 March 2018
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Has Democracy Failed Women?' Drude Dahlerup, Professor of Political Science at Stockholm University asks why women are still under-represented in politics, from the UK to the Global South. Some argue that we are on the right track to full gender equality in politics, while others talk about women hitting the glass ceiling or being included in institutions with shrinking power. Also, how 'normality' is established in language. Do the words we use-and don't use-reinforce dominant cultural norms? What are the unspoken assumptions behind terms like "male nurse," and "working mother"? Eviatar Zerubavel, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, explores the word choices we make every day, without even realizing it, and exposes the subtly encoded ways we talk about race, gender, sexual orientation and more. Producer: Jayne Egerton.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.5 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. This is a thinkingoud Podcast from the BBC and for more details in our terms of use and |
| 0:37.0 | much, much more about thinking aloud. |
| 0:39.4 | Go to our website at BBC.co. UK. |
| 0:43.0 | I'm a white heterosexual. It's not something I usually mention. |
| 0:49.0 | Find out why. |
| 0:50.0 | Hello, these days I contrive to be right about everything. Now that doesn't mean that I'm always right about everything. It means I've developed a range of techniques for disguising my prejudices and my areas of ignorance. It does also mean however that I have a vivid recollection |
| 1:06.5 | of those times in the past when such failings were publicly evident, utterly exposed. |
| 1:13.3 | So I well remember the disastrous day back in the 1980s when I walked into the senior common |
| 1:17.3 | room to join a group of sociology colleagues and was immediately buttonholed by the only |
| 1:21.6 | female member of staff and given this |
| 1:24.4 | riddle to solve. |
| 1:26.2 | So Laurie, there's this man driving a car who has an accident and dies on the spot. |
| 1:31.1 | His son however is rushed to a nearby hospital, whereupon seeing him there, a startled surgeon exclaims, |
| 1:38.0 | I can't operate on my own son. How could that be, Laurie? Was the surgeon lying or mistaken? Was the surgeon the boy's true father and the dead man the boy is adopted father? |
| 1:50.0 | You know, even as I hear those words, I relive the embarrassment I suffered as I was |
| 1:54.5 | triumphantly told that the surgeon was the boy's mother the boy's mother |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.