S1 E7. Woman and Birth Control: Dr Krystale Littlejohn, Just Get on the Pill

In this episode, I talk with Associate Professor of Sociology Dr Kystale Littlejohn about her book, Just Get on the Pill. A keenly researched and incisive examination, Dr Littlejohn investigates how birth control became a fundamentally unbalanced and gendered responsibility. Though it takes two people to make a pregnancy, prevention is seen almost entirely as a woman’s responsibility. In Just Get On The Pill, Dr Littlejohn breaks this down, unpacking how this gendered approach encroaches on reproductive and bodily autonomy and poses obstacles for preventing disease.  Some topics of discussion include: Society’s ideas about gender, the phenomenon of ‘gendered compulsory birth control’ and the need to see pregnancy prevention as yet another form of domestic labor The importance of language, and the problem with words like male and female condoms, and also ‘stealthing’... which should really just be called sexual assault How poor women are blamed for causing unintended pregnancies instead of recognising that poverty is a reason people might label their pregnancies as undesired in the first place How gendering birth control alienates trans, intersex and gender nonconforming people What a more liberating approach to birth control looks like And more! Powered by The Trouble Club: use the code STORY25 to get 25% off all Trouble ticket sales and membership payments  The quotes you will hear read during the interview are taken directly from the book, Just Get on the Pill. Transcription is available here Buy the book: US | UK  Mentioned in the episode: Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi Killing the Black Body - Dorothy Roberts Sexual Justice - Alexandra Brodsky -- Become a Patron for access to bonus content and to support the podcast, or buy me a (metaphorical) coffee Follow along: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Tik Tok | Youtube | LinkedIn Subscribe to the newsletter Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts - and be sure to rate and review to help other people find us! Explore The Story of Woman book recommendations in the US and the UK - purchases support the podcast AND local bookstores 🤩 www.thestoryofwomanpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices