Unsettled
by Iowa Public Radio
On Unsettled, we are minding the gender gap in all facets of life. Host Charity Nebbe explores the political divides shifting Gen Z women to the left and men to the right, as well as educational achievement gaps, health care outcomes and safety risks through the lens of gender. We also hear from men of various ages and backgrounds about what it means to be a man in 2025.
Episodes
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Meet the community builders bringing people together
The Corinthian Baptist Church, a majority Black congregation, sits just three miles away from Plymouth Congregational Church, a majority white congregation. Two members of each decided to cross the racial divide, bring the congregations together and build relationships. Now, the church members…
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One nation, under God, divisible
The United States was explicitly founded with religious freedom as a core value. But a rise in Christian nationalism has inserted religion into politics. We talk to journalist Katherine Stewart about this movement, what the goals of the leaders are and how those goals are different from typical...
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Media echo chambers create competing realities
Poynter’s Jon Greenberg remembers watching news reporters during the Vietnam War on television as a 12-year-old kid. He said when there were only three networks they had to appeal to a broader market with a more vague political consensus. Today, there are endless channels, publications and…
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From redlining to union busting, economic inequality drives division
Highway construction and urban renewal projects destroyed the Center Street Neighborhood, a thriving Black community in Des Moines. Families and businesses went into debt, shifting from entrepreneurship and owning to renting, which had a lasting effect on generational wealth. On this episode, we...
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How communities lost their stickiness
Driving through a small-town main street, you can see the facades of once thriving small businesses, grocery stores and newspapers that have now shuttered. While rural towns had held up a traditional ideal of tight knit communities, many have hollowed out since the farm crisis of the 1980s. On…
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COMING SOON: Unsettled Season Four
Social isolation, disconnection, political polarization — it's no secret we're living in a time of deep division. In this season of 'Unsettled,' we dive into the great divide in our communities, our economy, faith, politics and the way we get our information. We’ll also meet people who are…
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What does it mean to be a man?
Men discuss what gender and masculinity mean to them in the year 2025.
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Women and men experience different types of threats to their safety
Though women and girls are taught to be vigilant about their safety in public and around strangers, they are still far more likely to be murdered by an intimate partner.
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How gender determines our level of health care
Women are less likely to be believed at the doctor when they're experiencing pain. Meanwhile, men are more likely to die by suicide. On this episode, we discuss the origins of this discrepancy.
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Male and female students see different degrees of success
Girls are more likely to take advanced courses and graduate high school on time. In school, boys, particularly boys of color, are being left behind.
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Dating in the time of the political gender gap
Social media algorithms and differing stances on policy have contributed to a political gap between Gen Z women and men.
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COMING SOON: Unsettled Season Three
On this season of Unsettled, we mind the gender gap in all facets of life.
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A world without women
Imagine your world without women: the women you work with, the women you encounter in the service industry, maybe even the women who teach or care for your children. Women across the country are going on strike — on this episode of Unsettled.
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Best-selling author Roxane Gay shares views on feminism, reproductive rights
Roxane Gay's collection of essays Bad Feminist became a New York Times best-seller after its 2014 release, and her voice has since become an important part of our social discourse. On this episode of Unsettled, Roxane Gay joins Charity to discuss her work and how she views feminism, reproductive...
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Sex equality: It's not part of the U.S. Constitution.
Looking back at 100 years of the Equal Rights Amendment and looking ahead to what's next
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The Caitlin Clark effect
Caitlin Clark's abilities have captured national attention and brought new excitement to collegiate women's basketball. As she looks to the WNBA, what could her career mean for women's sports more broadly?
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What does it mean to be a woman?
To identify and understand what it means to be a woman, it's important to start with understanding identity and how we establish our own identities. Then, how our identities shape - and are shaped by - our communities and the world around us. From there, we use our identities to establish our own...
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Unsettled Season Two
We've come a long way, baby! But how far? Women's roles, women's rights and women's identities in our culture are constantly shifting. On the new season of Unsettled, we explore different aspects of womanhood. We're starting with pivotal moments for women in popular culture. Then we talk…
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Egregious Acts of Coercion
Human trafficking is one of the world’s largest criminal industries. It’s a form of human slavery, often a form of sexual exploitation, and it happens everywhere, even in Iowa.
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Pain, Shame, and Fear
"Men are afraid women will reject them. Women are afraid men will kill them." This is a phrase we've seen quoted all over the internet since #MeToo went viral last year.
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Should We Still Watch The Cosby Show?
When a well-known and influential writer, actor, or filmmaker gets accused of inappropriate or even illegal behavior, what happens to their body of work? Has the art that was created lost its value? How should people who loved and were influenced by that art respond?
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More Than the Birds and the Bees, Talking to Kids about #MeToo
Talking to kids about sex has long been a challenge for parents, and these conversations often focus solely on the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
About this show
On Unsettled, we are minding the gender gap in all facets of life. Host Charity Nebbe explores the political divides shifting Gen Z women to the left and men to the right, as well as educational achievement gaps, health care outcomes and safety risks through the lens of gender. We also hear from men of various ages and backgrounds about what it means to be a man in 2025.
Hosted by
Iowa Public Radio