The State vs. Woman
From Subject To Power by Elle Kamihira
February 19, 2026 · 1h 17m · Season 4 · Episode 57
About this episode
The episode discusses the oppressive tactics of male-run totalitarian governments towards women, featuring guest Li Wen who shares insights on feminism and gender equality in China.
Male-run totalitarian governments copy paste each other’s oppressive tactics; one aspiring dictator looks at what another tyrant is up to and adopts similar methods - and all seem to be different variations on the same theme - mainly to keep women vulnerable and under men’s control, and away from self-determination and any political power. Guest on this episode, Li Wen, started out as a journalist and policy analyst in China and now lives in Germany where she hosts a wildly popular Chinese podcast called Seahorse Planet. Banned in China but globally popular, Seahorse Planet features critical and inspirational feminism, the type of women’s rights talk male-run totalitarian governments despise and forbid. In this episode we talk about China’s u-turn on gender equality, the many social pressures women are subjected to now, including beauty duty, the marriage trap, discrimination in education and jobs market, and what its latest MeToo movement is accomplishing. We talk about the huge ripple effects of China’s 35-year-long one child policy and compare notes between the US and China on the birth rate panic and each of our government’s desperate attempts to promote marriage and…
People in this episode
Host: Elle Kamihira
Guest: Li Wen
Topics covered
- gender equality
- feminism
- totalitarianism
- women's rights
- social pressures
- China
- patriarchy
Keywords
- totalitarian governments
- women's rights
- feminism
- China
- MeToo movement
- social pressures
- patriarchy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Seahorse Planet
Places: China, Germany, US
More episodes of Subject To Power
- Standing Up To The Brotherhood · May 13, 2026 · 1h 8m
- The Empathy Trap · April 15, 2026 · 1h 14m
- How To Become A Quarrelsome Woman · March 17, 2026 · 1h 14m
- Find Your Sisters · January 22, 2026 · 53 min
- Sacred Darkness · December 27, 2025 · 1h 1m
- United In Misogyny · November 25, 2025 · 54 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Subject To Power podcast page.