The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO)
A Foreign Policy series about women creating change through economic empowerment, hosted by Reena Ninan. This season, we are focusing all our stories on girls. What are the real economics of girlhood? What are the hidden costs? And how could girls actually shake up the global economy? We visit girls preventing child marriages in India, advocates who helped legalize abortion in Benin, LGBTQ+ activists in Kenya, and education innovators, among others. HER♀️ is a Foreign Policy production made possible in part through funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Episodes
December 9, 2025 • 37 mins
This week, we’re bringing you an episode from the award-winning podcast Face-Off: The U.S. vs China.
China’s leader, Mao Zedong famously said that “Women hold up half the sky.” But these days it doesn’t feel that way in China. Unfair marriage rules, difficulties getting a divorce, barriers to owning property and many more restrictions are challenging women to speak out, and act. On this episode, “Feminist Rebels,” we’ll hear abou...
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October 23, 2025 • 33 mins
The Threshold is a new seven-part series from Foreign Policy about the fight to end infectious diseases around the world. In this episode, the team investigates what it will take to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic – including Lenacapavir, a new twice-yearly HIV prevention shot. Similar to HERO, The Threshold is made possible in part through funding from the Gates Foundation. If you like this episode, follow The Threshold wherever you get...
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October 16, 2025 • 22 mins
Let’s face it: It’s been a challenging year for family planning and reproductive rights more broadly. What can we do from here?
We were eager to catch up with family planning leaders at Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In a live panel discussion, host Reena Ninan spoke with Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director of FP2030 and a return guest to the show. Dr. Dube des...
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October 9, 2025 • 23 mins
In this special bonus episode, we explore a topic the show hasn’t covered before: menopause. We delve into what would need to change with healthcare and the workforce to better support women through menopause, as well as the economic factors that could enable those policies.
Host Reena Ninan speaks with Dr. Jessica Shepherd, gynecologist and author of the new book Generation M, Dr. Claus Runge, Bayer’s chief health equity officer...
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April 29, 2025 • 30 mins
This week, we’re bringing you an episode of What Could Go Right from our friends at The Progress Network.
Each Wednesday on What Could Go Right, hosts Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas converse with diverse experts to have sharp, honest conversations about what’s going on in the world, even during difficult times. In this episode, they dive into the global health crisis that doesn’t get nearly enough attention - tuberculosis...
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April 22, 2025 • 42 mins
This week, we’re sharing another show you might like. Cramped is a podcast created and hosted by Kate Downey, “because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus.”
In this episode, Kate talks to her mom about joining the Boston Women's Health Movement in the 1970s. Why was body literacy such a big part of feminism in the 70s, but when Kate became an active feminist in Boston in the 2000s, she didn't get informa...
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April 15, 2025 • 66 mins
While the show is on hiatus, we want to share a few podcasts on the HERO feed that we think you might like. We will release these episodes over the next month.
This first one is from a podcast called The Most Important Question from the Important, Not Important team. When HERO first launched, Important, Not Important featured one of our early episodes. It’s a good show, and we’ve been happy to remain in touch over the years.
Thi...
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April 1, 2025 • 25 mins
First, we need to share some news. This may be our last episode.
We are so grateful to the funding we have received for this podcast over the past four years. But our largest grant is ending soon. So for now, we are saying goodbye. We truly hope to be back in your feed someday.
To commemorate HERO, we are doing one last “follow-up” episode. This was an idea from you, our listeners. You suggested talking to past interviewees and s...
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March 25, 2025 • 24 mins
The idea for today’s show came from you: our listeners. Many of you wanted to hear follow-up stories. You suggested talking to past interviewees and seeing what they are doing now. In particular, you were curious if the gender equality issues they were advocating for had advanced or backslid since we first reported on them.
Today, we are coming back to Sabrina Habib, who was on our very first episode in 2021. Habib is the CEO and ...
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March 18, 2025 • 32 mins
Health and human services. Nutrition. Job programs. These are just a few of the sectors impacted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cuts in Nigeria—one of the top 10 recipients of U.S. foreign aid. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently announced the elimination of 83 percent of USAID programs.
On today’s episode, senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to aid workers and direct recipients in...
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February 26, 2025 • 15 mins
As a special bonus, we're sharing an interview host Reena Ninan recorded with Preethi Herman about how to launch a digital campaign that actually changes policy.
Herman led the Change.org Foundation, supporting 100 million people in campaigns worldwide. Currently, Herman is the CEO and co-founder of the Nguvu Collective, a women-led organization that has impacted more than 200 million lives.
**Note: This interview took place before...
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February 19, 2025 • 23 mins
The United States has long been the largest aid donor in the world, accounting for about 40 percent of humanitarian assistance globally last year, according to the United Nations. But that is quickly changing.
Most U.S. foreign aid is currently on hold. Thousands of projects are at risk of elimination. And nearly all staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development are on administrative leave.
How did we get to this momen...
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December 17, 2024 • 28 mins
On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, the final in our season focusing on the World Bank/IMF meetings this fall, we dive deep into the World Bank’s newly launched gender strategy. We will hear from two leaders driving this vision forward, as they explain why the Bank decided to prioritize some new goals.
First, host Reena Ninan speaks with Hana Brixi, Global Director for Gender at the World Bank, from the...
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December 10, 2024 • 23 mins
The number of people exposed to floods globally has surged by nearly 25 percent since 2000, with Africa experiencing the most dramatic increase. Floods this spring were especially brutal in East Africa, killing nearly 530 people and most heavily impacting Kenya.
On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we analyze the relationship between climate and gender equality. Host Reena Ninan begins by hearing from Nai...
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December 3, 2024 • 27 mins
As global public debt reaches historic highs, one of the key solutions is increasing the amount of funding for “concessional” loans—or ones with very good terms. That is where the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) comes in.
According to the World Bank, the IDA is the world’s largest source of development finance for countries most in need. It provides low-income countries with grants and loans with little to ...
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November 26, 2024 • 22 mins
Thousands of Kenyans protested against a finance bill in June that would have increased taxes on many everyday items. This was proposed in part to help pay off loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which account for more than 40 percent of the country’s foreign debt. But what is Kenya’s current fiscal climate? And how are these debts impacting gender equality?
On today’s episode of The Hidden Economics of...
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November 19, 2024 • 31 mins
The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is back for a very special seventh season. If you’re a longtime listener, you’ll know our show generally focuses on women from the global majority, or the global south. But this time, we wanted to cover the banks and institutions shaping global funding—particularly as the world faces an unprecedented amount of governmental debt.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), global publ...
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November 12, 2024 • 2 mins
With global public debt reaching historic highs, how are multilateral institutions approaching gender equality?
This season, launching November 19th, we talk to some of the biggest financial and development leaders about the long fight to support women and girls at the IMF/World Bank annual meetings.
Host Reena Ninan's interviews include:
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
Malado Kaba, Former Head of Gender a...
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April 23, 2024 • 49 mins
We’re ending this season with a special bonus episode recorded live from Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place during the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C.
First, host Reena Ninan speaks to United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. Then you’ll hear a panel discussion on the role of data in advancing gender equality.
Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...
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April 16, 2024 • 25 mins
On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we are closing out our special season on girls with inspiring stories about girl power. First, we go to Peru. Reporter Jimena Ledgard interviews Wendy Sulca, a former child pop star who is finding a new voice as an advocate.
Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with Bogolo Kenewendo about how her childhood shaped her into the political leader she has become. Kenewendo is just...
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