logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
32m 8s

Bankers in the Boudoir

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
About this episode
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo becomes invisible when he puts the Ring on his finger. Well, at banks in the 1970s, this is basically what happened when a woman put a wedding ring on her finger. Her credit cards would no longer work, and the banks wouldn't count her income as part of the household income.  This led to a fight for women's financial i ... Show More
Up next
Nov 19
It's Season 12!
<p>Sidedoor returns for its twelfth season on Wednesday, November 26th!</p> 
1m 48s
Oct 10
A Message Regarding the Shutdown
<p>Please be advised that new episodes will not be released during the government shutdown. For up-to-date information on the status of the Smithsonian, please visit our website at si.edu. </p> 
15s
Oct 1
Monkey Mystery: The Case of the Capuchin Kidnappers
<p>Why are capuchin monkeys kidnapping howler monkey babies in Panama? We investigate this bizarre case of primate abduction with researchers working with the Smithsonian to get to the bottom of this bizarre behavior. We'll talk about their discoveries, the social dynamics betwee ... Show More
23m 14s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
First Ladies | Martha Washington | 1
<p>In 1757, 26-year-old Martha Dandridge Custis was the wealthiest widow in Virginia when she caught the eye of George Washington, a young military hero and landowner. Their marriage thrust Martha into a public life she never anticipated. She would follow Washington from the army ... Show More
41m 14s
Sep 2024
The Trap of the Trad Wife
<p>This summer, scrutiny of the figure of the “trad wife” hit a fever pitch. These influencers’ accounts feature kempt, feminine women embracing hyper-traditional roles in marriage and home-making—and, in doing so, garnering millions of followers. On this episode of Critics at La ... Show More
43m 36s
Oct 9
How the Trad Wife Took Over
<p>Scrutiny of the figure of the “trad wife” has hit a fever pitch. These influencers’ accounts feature kempt, feminine women embracing hyper-traditional roles in marriage and home-making—and, in doing so, garnering millions of followers. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vins ... Show More
41m 20s
Dec 2024
40. By Hook or by Crook
Lucy Worsle digs into the lives of bold women who choose - by hook or by crook - to escape a life of poverty, misfortune and hardship. This episode highlights the fascinating tales of four invincible women. Sophie Lyons, a bank robber who, by the power of the American Dream, turn ... Show More
27m 58s
Jul 2024
Shirine Khoury-Haq, businesswoman
Shirine Khoury-Haq is the chief executive officer of the Co-op Group – the first female chief executive in its 180-year history and the first from an ethnic minority background.Shirine was born in Beirut to a Palestinian father and a Turkish mother. Her father was a geophysicist ... Show More
49m 42s
Jul 2024
First Ladies | No Handbook | 6
<p>There’s no job description for the role of First Lady of the United States. Betty Ford described it as being “much more than a 24-hour job.” First Ladies move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue along with the President and have to forge their own path. They are scrutinized for what ... Show More
41m 25s
Sep 2
The founding of USAID
On 3 November 1961, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was founded, bringing all existing aid work under one single agency. A key proponent of it was Barbara Ward, a pioneering British economist and journalist who had the ear of presidents and prime mi ... Show More
10m 39s
Aug 2024
Modern-day matriarchs
Traditionally women often take on much of the responsibility for practical and emotional support for a family as well as passing on family knowledge and traditions. But is the role still relevant? Datshiane Navanayagam talks to women from Canada and the UK about being a modern ma ... Show More
26m 28s
Sep 3
The Debt to David Graeber
When David Graeber died in 2020, at the age of 59, he left not only a substantial body of work on economic and social anthropology, and high-profile books including Debt: The First 5000 Years and Bullshit Jobs, but also a legacy as an influential political activist and leading fi ... Show More
59m 53s
Sep 2024
The Fate of the Finance Bro
<p>From classic eighties films like “Wall Street” to Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel “American Psycho,” the world of finance has long provided a seductive backdrop for meditations on wealth and power. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra ... Show More
49m 27s