For the first episode of our brand new Growing Pains podcast, we spoke to the lovely (and might we add, extremely wise) Ramita Anand to talk all things feminism, and how we tackle this topic as parents...
Feminism is a topic that’s very close to our hearts and one we think all our kids (girls and boys) should know about – but how do we go about it, and at what age should we start having those conversations? In our first-ever podcast episode, hosts Ange and Sam speak to Ramita Anand to help us answer these questions (and more!) about our role as parents when it comes to feminism.
GROWING PAINS PODCAST EPISODE 1: How to raise our children to be feminists (boys included!)
About Ramita Anand…
Ramita is a mum to two kids aged 10 and 13 (one girl and one boy), as well as a furkid called Atticus. Born and raised in Vancouver, Ramita spent time working in London and New York as a teacher, spending over 15 years in the classroom, with five of these years spent in Learning Support departments. From this, she developed her passion for supporting and developing children and helping them to foster their own superpowers. Following her move to Singapore, she set up Elevate.RA – an educational mentoring service designed to empower young girls to help them lead remarkable lives.
Here’s a sneak peek into our chat…
What should we be talking to girls about when it comes to feminism?
We need to teach girls about respect and self-worth. We need to develop them to be able to advocate for themselves; it’s all about empowerment and, ultimately, belief.
Why is it just as important (if not more so!) that boys are part of this conversation…
I don’t know how we are going to have change when it comes to feminism if we don’t bring in the other half of the population, which is male. We can’t break that cycle until everyone is brought to the table. You can’t expect boys to understand if we don’t actively bring them into this conversation. It’s about starting the conversation with boys from an early age, talking to them about concepts they understand – making the comparisons, talking about fairness…
Here’s something new we learned during our conversation…
Joanna Rowling was asked to change her name for publishing to JK Rowling because Joannas don’t sell millions of books apparently…
And something that made us think…
When people say we are making progress, it’s true, but we can’t go as far as saying things are ok. Let’s have a think about what the pandemic taught us. With working from home and homeschooling, who did the responsibility lie with (for the most part) when it came to homeschooling? Mums. What does this tell us about our current thinking when it comes to gender and roles at home?
A standout quote to note…
“Don’t be afraid of the conversation. That’s what is holding us back. Don’t be afraid of feminism.”
Wanna hear more?
Check out the full episode (and our other Season 1 episodes) right here! We’ve been speaking to cool mums and dads from across the Little Red Dot to bring you the highs (and lows) of parenting and discuss hot topics when it comes to raising kids here in Singapore.
Stay tuned for the next episode dropping soon!
