Have you ever had a great idea which was ignored in a meeting, only for it to be wildly applauded and rapidly implemented when later suggested by a man? In this episode, I talk with Katrine Marçal about her book, Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored In An Economy Built For Men.
From the rolling suitcases to computer science to addressing the climate crisis, Katrine illuminates how our world is shaped by gender; how gender bias has skewed innovation, technology, and history; and how women’s intelligence and ingenuity hold the key to our future. Virtually every aspect of our existence is affected by our deeply held beliefs about the role of men and women within society. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Some topics of discussion include:
- How the founding father of economics forgot about women
- Why it took 5000 years to put wheels onto suitcases, and insight into why electric cars disappeared from our streets 100 years ago
- How gender influences what we deem “technology” and “technical” skills
- Why “the robots are coming!” narrative is inaccurate and lessons from the first industrial revolution
- Why women hold the key to our future
And more!
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The quotes you will hear read during the interview are taken directly from the book, Mother of Invention.
Transcription is available here
Mentioned in the episode:
- Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? - Katrine Marçal
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - John le Carré
- The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin
- Unwell Women - Elinor Cleghorn - listen to The Story of Woman episode with Elinor
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