logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2021
37m 44s

Why do men rule the world?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Listener Paula from Kenya is a computer scientist, she can’t help but notice the inequality in her workplace.

With only 1 in 10 countries having female heads of state, there is no doubt that men are in charge.

Paula wants to know if there is any scientific underpinning to this inequality? Perhaps it can be explained by our brains and bodies? Or does evolution weigh in?

Or maybe it is all down to society and the way we raise our boys and girls. The toys and ideals we give our children must surely have an impact.

And most importantly, if we want a world run by men and women equally, how can we get there? We hear how Iceland became the most gender equal country in the world.

Presented by Marnie Chesterton. Produced by Caroline Steel for the BBC World Service

[Image: Men in board room. Credit: Getty Images]

Up next
Jul 17
Are there diseases in space?
Space missions are searching for evidence of extra-terrestrial life. CrowdScience listener George in Kenya wants to know what could be up there, and if there’s a risk it could harm humanity. With rovers currently analysing samples on Mars, missions searching for the building bloc ... Show More
26m 28s
Jul 10
What are these strange rocks?
CrowdScience listener Liana from Canada got in touch to ask about some very specific rocks she’d seen on an island in Indonesia – jagged, rugged and a very strange shape: hexagonal. They were in long columns, and clicked together like a jigsaw. But what are they, and how did they ... Show More
26m 28s
Jul 6
How did plants evolve to attract insects?
Many plants need pollen from another plant of the same species in order to reproduce, but they don’t have legs so they can’t simply walk around looking for a mate. As a result, many of them rely on animals to transfer pollen from one plant to another. They’ve developed a hugely d ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
Women in STEM Jobs
Men are far more likely to work in jobs that involve Science and Technology. But why is this? Colin Lowther and Liz Waid look at this issue and ways people are solving it. https://spotlightenglish.com/work-and-business/women-in-stem-jobs/ Download our app for Android at http://bi ... Show More
14m 11s
Sep 2023
Who Runs the World?... Not Women
Female representation in politics leads to numerous benefits, but the vast majority of the world’s most powerful politicians are men. Using the Council on Foreign Relations’ Women’s Power Index tool to track women’s leadership across the globe, this episode examines the problems ... Show More
36m 10s
Oct 2021
Smart women, male genius
Five hundreds years ago a Spanish physiologist declared that genius was stored in the testicles. Even today, studies have shown that people associate men with genius more than women. Award-winning science writer and broadcaster Angela Saini wants to know why. Saini examines why p ... Show More
27m 45s
Oct 2021
The Life Scientific at 10: What does it take to be a scientist?
How damaging is the stereotype of white males in white coats? Do scientists think differently? Or do the qualities we associate with being a nerd do them a disservice? Is specialism the best way to solve 21st century problems when so many great discoveries are made in the cracks ... Show More
56m 46s
Apr 2023
Interview with Paula Wright on Feminism vs Female choice
In this episode, Matthew talks to writer and Darwinian scholar, Paula Wright. Through her MSc in Psychology, Culture and Evolution (Evolutionary Psychology) at Brunel London, Paula has questioned Feminism for ignoring biology and that some forms of Feminism actually restrict fema ... Show More
37m 48s
Nov 2023
Nancy Lindisfarne and Jonathan Neale, "Why Men?: A Human History of Violence and Inequality" (Hurst, 2023)
How did humans, a species that evolved to be cooperative and egalitarian, develop societies of enforced inequality? Why did our ancestors create patriarchal power and warfare? Did it have to be this way? These are some of the key questions that Dr. Nancy Lindisfarne and Dr. Jonat ... Show More
1h 14m
Mar 2016
Raewyn Connell: Masculinities
Many questions women ask ourselves about how to achieve equality can only be answered if we understand men and masculinity. The Women’s Liberation Movement triggered a worldwide debate about men, and a generation of research about what proved to be masculinities - in the plural. ... Show More
51m 29s
Sep 2023
DSR Spy Show: Is Espionage a Man's World?
It’s no secret that the espionage arena has been dominated by men. Former CIA case officer Laura Thomas joins Marc to discuss why this makes female case officers so indispensable, the effects of the ongoing harassment scandal, and why the CIA promotion system must adapt. Also, a ... Show More
32m 37s
Sep 2023
Patriarchy
Why are men in charge? Who invented Patriarchy?Was it chest-thumping primate ancestors? Was it spear-wielding hunter gatherers? Was it at dawn of agriculture and the creation of property? Or was it something more subtle?These are the questions that Angela Saini has set out to ans ... Show More
47m 40s
Aug 2023
How to get more women in science, with Athene Donald
In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, physicist Athene Donald joins us to discuss her book Not just for the boys, why we need more women in science. We discuss how science has historically excluded women, the barriers to entry and retention that remain prevalent, and wh ... Show More
32m 14s