Radio Headspace

This week, in light of International Women’s Day, Radio Headspace takes on the idea of stereotypes. The more I was reading about International Women’s Day, the more it became apparent that we are often, men and women, shaped by stereotypes from a young age, whether consciously or not. At some point in our formative years it seems we fall into two camps - girls who do girl stuff, and boys who do boy stuff. I was sent a really interesting study the other day that showed how girls were subconsciously being graded lower in maths and science by their teachers, because the expectation was for them to fare less well in these supposedly boy subjects, So when do these stereotypes start, how do they affect boys as well as girls, and what can we do about it? In my years as a television presenter, I came across stereotypes a lot, and was also lucky enough to come across some incredible women trying to do something to change that, and have their voices heard. This week on the podcast I’m joined by Gemma Cairney, Jameela Jamil, and Georgia Lewis Anderson, all of whom are doing their utmost to ensure women have a less stereotypical voice in media. Particularly noteworthy is Gemma’s work with WOW NOW as part of International Women’s Day, and I wanted to share this video project she made, looking at what matters to 12-16 year old girls of today. It’s certainly not just girls and women who face stereotyping and expectations though, so I went out and spoke to men in Venice and at the Headspace office to find out about the stereotypes they faced on a daily basis. I also spoke to Elizabeth Nyamayaro, head of the UN’s He for She campaign, about the work they’re doing to abolish stereotypes and create a globally supportive society of individuals, both men and women. As always, if you enjoy the podcast please take a second to subscribe on iTunes, and leave us a review. You can get in touch with us at radio@headspace.com, or on Twitter @get_headspace. Head to headsapce.com/blog to check out our 100 Kinds of Kindness campaign, and while you’re there, why not download the Headspace app and meditate for just 10 minutes every day, and see what your mind is capable of.