Maiden Mother Matriarch with Louise Perry

Charles Murray is a political scientist best known for his work on intelligence, socioeconomics, and the American welfare state. In books including 'Losing Ground' (1984), 'The Bell Curve' (1994), and 'Coming Apart' (2012), Murray has offered an interpretation of the world that foregrounds the role of genetic luck in social outcomes. A lot of people dislike this interpretation, to put it mildly. But I'm convinced by the evidence that genetic luck is important, and that we can't ignore this factor when trying to make sense of the world. One profound problem that we face in the twenty-first century derives from the fact that unusually intelligent people – i.e. people who have lucked out in terms of both their genetics and their environments – are often very bad at understanding how others experience the world. Murray describes a process we've undergone since the end of the Second World War whereby a new cognitive elite has become increasingly isolated – socially and geographically – from the rest of society. This distance encourages feelings of contempt towards people further down the class system, who in turn feel anger at the ways in which they are misgoverned by an elite that feels no sense of noblesse oblige. The result has been bitter political polarisation – one of the many subjects that we discuss in today's episode. Find ad-free and bonus episodes of the Maiden Mother Matriarch podcast at louiseperry.substack.com. Discussed in this episode: 'Taking Religion Seriously' by Charles MurrayHelen Andrews on the 'Great Feminisation''The Son Also Rises' by Gregory Clark Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, I spoke with Rob Henderson about Jacob Savage's viral article in Compact on discrimination against white men in creative industries. Discussed in the episode:'The lost generation' - Compact Magazine'The vanishing white male writer' - Compact Magazine'The vanishing' - Tablet Magazine'The Daily' episode on media trust Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have seen an extraordinary change in attitudes towards gay and lesbian people over the last half century in the West. Within living memory, homosexuality was criminalised. Now, same-sex couples can get married and share custody of children. This is nothing short of a moral revolution. Plenty of progressives think, not only that this change was inevitable, but also that further liberalisation is inevitable. My guests today are not so sure. They note that, for the first time in a long time, younger people on average are less accepting of homosexuality than are slightly older people. Perhaps this is a result of immigration patterns. Perhaps it's a result of strategic errors made by activists. I'm joined by three people who all agree that something has gone wrong, although they disagree – subtly – on exactly how and why. Ronan McCrea is professor of constitutional and European law at University College London and the author of 'The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom.' Matthew Vines the the Founder and Executive Director of The Reformation Project and the author of 'God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships.'And Julie Bindel is a journalist, broadcaster, author, and the co-founder and co-director of The Lesbian Project.All of these guests share a concern that the wins of the gay rights movement are very fragile. There is a very real possibility that we will look back on the early twenty-first century as an historical blip – a brief moment of victory that was squandered. We ask how that fate might be avoided. Discussed in the show: 'The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom''God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships' 'Lesbians: Where are we now?' The Lesbian Project podcast Stephen Ireland news storyMy interview with Darel E. Paul Operation Spanner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Conservative America gets right about Britain Description: In this bonus episode, I spoke with Ed West about why the American Right is so preoccupied with British decline.Discussed in this episode:The declining lethality of violent assaultChristopher Caldwell on Trump's warnings on EuropeCurtis Yarvin on hobbits and elvesBritish Muslim crime rateLeamington Spa case Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Give the gift of everyday luxury and make every moment comfortable. Headto cozyearth.com and use my code COZYMMM for 20% off sitewide. And if youget a Post-Purchase Survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth at the Maiden Mother Matriarch podcast.I know that there are many people listening to this podcast right now who truly and sincerely want to get married, but can't find the right person. They've done the usual things – they've tried the apps, they've tried going to church, they've asked their friends to set them up. These strategies aren't futile – we all know plenty of people who met their spouses in this way – but they're not a guarantee, either. If we've learnt anything from the social experiment of the sexual revolution, it's that matchmaking is a difficult coordination problem. Earlier this year, I interviewed Christiana Maxion, a professional matchmaker who takes a very intuitive approach to her work. Today, I'm joined by someone who comes at the problem in a very different way. Geoffrey Miller is an evolutionary psychologist, an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New Mexico, and the author of books including 'The Mating Mind' (2001) and 'Mating Intelligence' (2008). He's also the Chief Science Advisor to a dating platform that claims to be able to match people based on A.I. analysis of reams of data. Things like IQ tests, personality tests, and demographic factors like age and socioeconomic status. Geoffrey believes that this non-intuitive approach to matchmaking is the way to bring happy couples together. Today we speak about the science, and also the issue of expectations. What is it reasonable to want in a spouse? How can single people set themselves up to win in the marriage market? And what role should we give to other people – parents or siblings, for instance – in the process of matchmaking? Discussed in the show:My interview with Christiana Maxion.Keeper matchmaking Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, I disagreed strongly with Meghan Murphy on the necessity of housework.Discussed in the episode:‘Women aren't nags – we're just fed up'‘Thoughts on being raised by a single dad and the advice to “just do less”‘The women quietly quitting their husbands' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No one is under any illusions about how tired mothers are. And fathers, too. Particularly during the early years of sleep deprivation. We're also often overwhelmed by responsibility and financial stress. None of this is in doubt. But does that mean that mothers are unhappy? It's a complicated question to answer. A lot of people assume – particularly, I suspect, people who don't have children themselves – that tiredness and busyness necessarily suggest that a woman's wellbeing is damaged by having children. And there are, of course, feminist ideas that fall out of this assumption. Primarily, the idea that marriage and motherhood are oppressive to women, and that these are burdens that women long to be relieved of. Today I'm joined by two academics who offer their expertise on the question of maternal happiness. Wendy Wang is the Director of Research at the Institute for Family Studies, and Jenet Erickson is a fellow at the same institute. She's also an associate professor at Brigham Young University. I met Wendy and Jenet at a conference organised by the Institute for Family Studies earlier this year at which they both presented their research on marriage, children, and – here's the really interesting bit – the strong correlation between a woman's experience of physical touch and her mental wellbeing. They both argue that mothers – specifically married mothers – are happier on average than other women. Together we examine the evidence. Give the gift of everyday luxury and make every moment comfortable. Headto cozyearth.com and use my code COZYMMM for 20% off sitewide. And if youget a Post-Purchase Survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth at the Maiden Mother Matriarch podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, I spoke with Nina Power about 'hybristophilia' – a fetish typically found in women that is characterized by sexual attraction to criminals. We discussed what the phenomenon reveals about female sexuality, the insights offered by erotic fiction intended for a female readership, and the tightrope that women have to walk when trying to attract sexual interest from men. Discussed in the episode: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15334175/The-female-police-officers-betray-law-inside-Besotted-women-share-force-secrets-criminal-lovers-share-jail-kisses-them.htmlhttps://www.thesun.co.uk/news/36533018/ex-prison-officer-jailed-parties-onlyfans/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2074301/Woman-with-objects-fetish-marries-Eiffel-Tower.htmlhttps://www.louiseperry.co.uk/p/the-evolution-of-mental-illness-marcohttps://www.louiseperry.co.uk/p/where-do-fetishes-come-from-ray-blanchardhttps://archive.org/details/lovingtosurvives0000grah Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, and author of books including ‘iGen', ‘Generation Me', and ‘Generations.' Her latest title is ‘10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children's Lives.'We spoke about why smartph… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Rob Henderson and I spoke about sexual politics and education. Do men care about whether a potential wife has a degree? Is university the best place to find a spouse? And was ‘Princeton Mom' right? Discussed in the episode:* https://x.com/Rich_Cooper/status/1989676504880386558* https://x.com/sentientist/status/1991591912881680859?s=46… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm joined by Lyman Stone and Diana Fleischman for a debate on eugenics – specifically, Diana's argument that most people support ‘negative eugenic' policies to some degree, and that governments ought to go further by encouraging the use of sterilisation or long term contraception among, for instance, drug addicts.Lyman Stone is the Director of Research of the consulting firm Demographic Intelligence, the director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, and an author on Substack - Diana Fleischman is an evolutionary psychologist, Associate Research Professor at the University of New Mexico, and author of the Dissentient Substack - https://dissentient.substack.comDiscussed in the episode:* Diana's essay ‘You're probably a eugenicist' https://dissentient.substack.com/p/eugenicist* Shor, E., & Simchai, D. (2009). Incest avoidance, the incest taboo, and social cohesion: Revisiting Westermarck and the case of the Israeli kibbutzim. American Journal of Sociology, 114(6), 1803–1842.* Gipson, J. D., Bornstein, M., Berger, A., & Rocca, C. H. (2021). Desire to avoid pregnancy and contraceptive use among female methadone patients in Los Angeles. Contraception, 103(5), 322–327* Donohue, J. J., & Levitt, S. D. (2001). The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(2), 379–420. https://doi.org/10.1162/00335530151144050 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.louiseperry.co.uk/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Ed West about the new data indicating that British citizens are emigrating in much larger numbers than anyone realised. We also spoke about how emigration has shaped the Anglosphere and the proposed reforms to the asylum system. Discussed in the episode:* ONS revised emigration estimates – https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplep…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Melissa Kearney, Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and author of ‘The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind.'We spoke about the experience of raising children in a low fertility society, why feminists should care about pronatalism, the cause of the massive recent dec…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Diana Fleischman about the new Lily Allen album, why most people aren't well suited to polyamory, why celebrities cheat more often than normal people, whether we should stigmatise polyamory, and the middle aged women taking testosterone to boost their libidos. Discussed in the episode:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Joyce Benenson, Lecturer in Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and the author of ‘Warriors and Worriers: The Survival of the Sexes.' We spoke about boys and men – why even very young boys are often obsessed with enemies, superheroes, weapons, and everything else to do with warfare, and how psychological sex differences ar…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Nina Power and I discussed Alasdair MacIntyre's work and the position of postliberalism in 2025. Is the West excessively individualistic, or actually excessively communitarian? Was the welfare state a terrible mistake? And did liberalism really fail?

This episode is sponsored by Relay. For a 7 day free trial, go to https://joinrelay.app/maiden and use the code ‘LOUISE' at checkout.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Meghan Murphy about ‘gooning.' Discussed on the show: https://harpers.org/archive/2025/11/the-goon-squad-daniel-kolitz-porn-masturbation-loneliness/

In this MMM episode, I'm joined by Ann Furedi and Leah Libresco Sargeant to discuss the question “is access to legal abortion essential to women's flourishing?”Ann is a writer, activist, author of the book ‘The Moral Case for Abortion' and the former chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the largest abortion provider in the UK.Leah is the author of ‘The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto' and also of the Substack ‘Other Feminisms.' She works in family policy in Washington D.C. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.louiseperry.co.uk/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Rob Henderson about the ‘Great Feminisation Hypothesis'. Discussed in the episode:https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-great-feminization/

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Dan Hitchens, senior editor at First Things Magazine. We spoke about assisted suicide: the second and third order consequences of legalisation, why low fertility welfare states are increasingly drawn to this apparent solution to their financial woes, and why Britain's National Health Service would prove to be a particularly dangerous p…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Rod Dreher and I discussed Pope Leo's recent comments on refugees and the conflict within Christianity over how to respond to mass immigration.Discussed in the episode:https://firstthings.com/indigenous-london/Thibault De MontbrialJean Raspail

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Linda Griffith, Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering at MIT and director of the Center for Gynepathology Research in Boston. Linda is a leading world expert on endometriosis, our subject today. We spoke about her own experiences with the disease, why it's so poorly understood, the challenges of diagnosis, the impact on wo…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Nina and I spoke about the state of ‘the yookay' – how the colonial instinct turned inwards, how we might interpret class conflict in a non-Marxist way, the deranged individualism of the English, and why generosity can so easily generate resentment. We also discussed Enoch Powell, Harry Potter, and Tolkein.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukThis episode is sponsored by Relay. For a 7 day free trial, go to https://joinrelay.app/maiden and use the code ‘LOUISE' at checkout.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Meghan and I spoke about ‘Right wing cancel culture' – is it a real phenomenon? Is it as bad as the Left wing kind? And how do the Right tend to respond to their own apostates? We also spoke about the reluctance of many pro-choice advocates to debate abortion, whether McCarthyism might have been justified, and the recent rise in p…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Christiana Maxion, a matchmaker based in Dubai who specialises in providing bespoke matchmaking services to the ultra wealthy. We spoke about how this kind of modern matchmaking differs from the traditional model, the problem of people overestimating their desirability and how a good matchmaker should respond to that, what rich men are…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Rob Henderson and I spoke about downward social mobility and the political instability generated by elite over-production. We also discussed the status anxiety motivating the MAGA movement, whether Mars colonisation would relieve political tension, the role of downward social mobility in the industrial revolution, and why white el…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukThis episode is sponsored by Relay. For a 7 day free trial, go to https://joinrelay.app/maiden and use the code ‘LOUISE' at checkout.

I'm joined today by Kate Phelan and Johann Kurtz to debate the question 'should we encourage our sons to be masculine?' Kate is a lecturer at RMIT University in Melbourne and the author of a recent book titled 'Feminism, Defeated.' Johann is the author of the Substack 'Becoming Noble.' We discussed whether the relationship between masculinity and femininity is necessarily hierarchical, the role of men as protectors of women, why aggression is the most difficult and volatile facet of masculinity, and whether traditional gender roles are prudent or tyrannical. The MMM podcast can also be found on Apple, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms: https://linktr.ee/maidenmothermatriarchThis episode is sponsored by Relay. For a 7 day free trial, go to https://joinrelay.app/maiden and use the code ‘LOUISE' at checkout.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Katherine Dee, tech reporter and historian of the internet. We spoke about a recent New York Times article ('They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling.') on psychosis induced by ChatGPT, and compared this phenomenon with historic cases of new communication technologies causing outbreaks of mental illness. In…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Alex Kaschuta, creator of The Garden of Earthly Delights Substack. We spoke about why modern urbanites are so attracted to tradlife, but why (what I call ) unilateral tradlife is so difficult. We also spoke about the peculiarity of Anglo culture from an Eastern European perspective, whether the Right is really capable of good governanc…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode I spoke with Ed West about the 'flagging' phenomenon in Britain: the government's inability to respond to it, why it's emerged right now, and whether it's just a show or patriotism or a sign of something more sinister. We also spoke about 'colourblind casting' in British historical dramas, the state of Britain's international reput…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guests today are Ute Heggen and Emma Thomas, two women whose lives have been deeply impacted by the men in their lives choosing to transition. Ute runs the YouTube channel @UteHeggenTranswidowHeals, and has also authored a memoir titled 'In the Curated Woods.' Emma is founder of the campaign group Children of Transitioners.We spoke about Emma and Ute…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode I spoke about Freya India about the modern pathologisation of personality traits – including virtues like "people pleasing" – and whether a better understanding of psychological sex differences might encourage young people to be less vexed about common psychological phenomena like rumination. We also spoke about parasocial relation…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Kate Phelan, a Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies at RMIT University in Melbourne, and the author of a new book titled 'Feminism, Defeated.'We spoke about how feminism has changed over the past half century, from the radicalism of the Second Wave to the absorption of feminism into the progressive omnicause. In …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Meghan Murphy about the phenomenon of female teachers – typically young and attractive – having sexual relationships with their young male students. Plus we spoke about women behaving like 'female chauvinist pigs', my theory of nonce radar, and whether or not men are now more interested in dating older women. We discu…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Amy Alkon, science reporter and author of a new book titled 'Going Menopostal: What You (and Your Doctor) Need to Know About the Real Science of Menopause and Perimenopause.' We spoke about menopause: what it is, the symptoms, treatment options, and why Amy believes that most menopausal women are being terribly misserved by their docto…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Nina Power and I spoke about '1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story', a new documentary on Channel 4, as well as Kathleen Stock's recent essay for UnHerd about the documentary. Is Bonnie Blue the perfect capitalist? An artist? A demon? A psychopath? A neo-religious symbol? All of the above?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is the writer and cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins. She has previously written books on museums and the moral questions raised by exhibiting or retaining certain artefacts, in that spirit she is also a trustee of the British Museum, and a radio presenter, including of the BBC Radio 4 series 'The History of Secrecy.' Her latest book is '…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, Rob Henderson and I spoke about Sydney Sweeney's ad for American Eagle – why has it been so controversial? What does the response tell us about intrasexual competition? Does this indicate a political pivot in popular culture? And why did so many companies embrace the spirit of 2020 in the first place?

In a first for MMM, today's episode is a debate. Discussing the question “should we encourage our daughters to be feminists?”, we have Bryan Caplan (professor of economics at George Mason University) and Holly Lawford-Smith (professor of political philosophy at the University of Melbourne). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.louiseperry.co.uk/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is the writer and psychotherapist Phyllis Chesler. Her bestselling book, 'Women and Madness', published in 1972, was one of the most influential books of the second wave. She has spent a lifetime writing about and campaigning on feminist issues including honour killings, the surrogacy industry, child custody, and the treatment of women in…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode for paid subscribers, Mary and I spoke about why thinking about death makes people want to have children, climate change anxiety, the post-literate future, the new vigilante groups springing up in Britain, and why Britain's upper classes are suffering from post-colonial grief

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Ross Douthat, columnist at The New York Times and author of many books, including a new one titled 'Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious.' We spoke about near death experiences, the mystery of the Turin Shroud, how mystical experiences change people (if at all), the challenge of detecting the presence of the Holy Spirit, and what …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Nina Power about the symbolic power of terrorism and how this has changed post-9/11, the increasingly nihilistic motivations of terrorists in Europe, the use of the Oasis track ‘Don't Look Back in Anger' in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing, and the increasing public distrust of government narratives around ter…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukMy guest today is Holly Lawford-Smith, a philosopher, author and associate professor in Political Philosophy at the University of Melbourne. We discussed her latest book, titled 'Feminism Beyond Left and Right', in which Holly argues for an expansive definition of feminism that untethers it from its association with the Left. The MMM podcast can also be…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Meghan Murphy about whether marriage is still an attractive prospect for women, Meghan's own objections to getting married, the problem for feminists of working out whether a woman is really choosing something or whether she's deluded about her own desires, and what the apparent return of the bandage dress reveals (if…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukBijan Omrani is an historian, classicist, and research fellow at the University of Exeter. His most recent book is titled (somewhat provocatively) 'God is an Englishman: How Christianity Created England.' We spoke about how little we know about pre-Christian Britain, why Christianity swept through the country so rapidly during the Early Middle Ages, the…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukIn this bonus episode, I spoke with Rob Henderson about expensive weddings, the unexpected consequences of abortion decriminalisation, whether or not hunter gatherers are happier than modern Westerners, and why we should all consider giving up mirrors next Lent.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.louiseperry.co.ukVaishnavi Sundar is a filmmaker, founder of Limesoda Films, and creator of a new documentary titled 'Behind The Looking Glass', a film about the lives of women whose male partners identify as trans. This is the first film to be made about the experiences of so-called 'trans widows.' Vaishnavi interviewed dozens of women and pieced together their testimo…