Ep 204. Jordan Shapiro: How to Be a Feminist Dad
“Many men today find themselves paralyzed as they confront conflicting messages.”
Jordan Shapiro
Jordan Shapiro is the author of Father Figure: How to Be a Feminist Dad. He is a senior fellow for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and Nonresident Fellow in the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. His previous book, The New Childhood: Raising Kids To Thrive in a Connected World, focused on parenting and screen time. During the week, you can find him in the classroom at Temple University, where he teaches in the Intellectual Heritage Program and developed the online version of the university's core curriculum.
In this episode, Stew talks with Jordan about fatherhood in the modern world and the dilemmas fathers face at work and at home, stigmas that undermine divorced fathers, why patriarchy is harmful to men and to women, the importance of being a feminist, and what it takes to become a feminist dad -- critical consciousness, responsive fathering, removing locker-room gender essentialism, and rigorous inclusivity. Jordan offers practical advice on how fathers can adopt these principles in their lives, thereby liberating themselves and giving their children the love, support, and guidance their children need to thrive.
Here then, fathers, is an invitation, a challenge, just for you, once you’ve listened to the conversation. What can you do to demonstrate to your children a commitment to rigorous inclusivity and what, if you did so, would you expect to be the result for your children’s lives? Share your reactions to this episode and ideas for future episodes with Stew by writing to him at friedman@wharton.upenn.edu or via LinkedIn.
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