If you fail to understand the primary cause of contemporary patriarchy, you go chasing geese in the past. So many books write about concubines’ “agency”, yet omit wider ideologies.. And why her great-great-great-great-granddaughter is still secluded, at home, with no friends.

What are the origins of patriarchy? (Or is that the wrong question...?) Writing my book, cross-legged on the floor, scraping clues & fragments from every continent, till I cobble together the mosaic. 🧩🗺️

In the middle of listening, right now... this is VERY, VERY GOOD!

Just read the transcript of this. It is absolutely fascinating. Growing left-right gap in young people (even teens) is worldwide So many big changes happening at a rapid pace (e.g. fertility drop)

20% of young men in the UK are not in work or education, nor caring for anyone. Do economic frustrations drive political polarisation? But young women are actually more polarised, and often doing better. Is this due to online persuasion, mimetic copying, or less socialising??

As China’s exports come up against trade barriers, they’re offloading & flooding other countries. 🇮🇩 factories have increasingly closed - exacerbating a prior trend of automation, de-industrialisation, & stalled development. By Jon Emont, Ft @drodrik.bsky.social www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...

Are Men & Women Scrolling Apart? @jburnmurdoch.ft.com joins me to discuss gendered polarisation. - Does this hold worldwide? - Which groups are most polarised? - Is this due to economic frustrations or online persuasion? - What are the possible solutions? youtu.be/VrOk1-jChdA?...

It was such a treat to be on CNN with the fantastic Fareed Zakaria - who was incredibly kind & insightful!

3 patriarchs huddle, each glorifies a distinct ideology: 1) says men are more intelligent. 2) claims that female seclusion is necessary for heaven. 3) rejects reproductive freedoms. Which patriarchal ideology proves most resilient in the 21st century?

Patriarchy persists in cultural enclaves that legitimise and naturalise inequalities - when it is the air we breathe. Technological connectivity can be radically disruptive, enabling ideological persuasion. Have I tagged all the feminist bestsellers here in Yogya? 📚

Thank you so much to all my friends in Indonesia for being so incredibly hospitable, generous & informative! This trip has radically advanced my understanding of 🇮🇩 schooling, religious syncretism, nationalism, & gender. Here’s me looking like I have just heard MAJOR gossip. 👀

Indonesia’s cultural syncretism - celebrated in wedding photography: - 3 pins in her hair (cunduk mentul) - sarongs - ceremonial dagger (keris) - guardian deities are wrapped in black-white checked cloth to honour their sacred power - Islamic hijab

Indonesia is truly beautiful, But it’s striking to see so little mechanisation of agriculture. Whether I visit tobacco, rice, or fish farms, much is still done by hand. So many potentially brilliant minds still trapped in drudgery - “Lost Einsteins”.

Yogya is gloriously vibrant, it’s such a pleasure to see Prambanan temple, Borobodhur, as well as Indonesians Muslims’ pride & enjoyment of this beautiful heritage. Also recommended: a ginormous hat.

Welcome to Yogya, where pink hijabis carefully choreograph a tiktok performance in front of a 9th century Hindu temple. 🇮🇩❤️

“When we go back to the village, we’re surprised the mangos are still on the trees. My friends & I used to climb up and steal them. But now the kids don’t care about mangos: they’re playing video games” 🇮🇩

The village chief is generously taking me on a big trip up river! 🐟🐠

Pop quiz for you and your AI: Where am I? What’s the building on the left? What does it tell us?

“What book should people read to understand gender equality?” asks Lavina “Romantic fiction!”, I suggest 😀

“All good?”, asks my mother “Oh yes, my friend is taking me on a motorbike tour of mosques and holy shrines!” 🏍️ 🇮🇩🕌

“How can men support women?” Or let me rephrase the question, “How do culture & institions shape men’s proclivity to support women?” Lavina (my Acehenese RA) interviewed me for her podcast! 🇮🇩

“Nongkrong” is Indonesian slang for hanging out. It means relaxing with friends, with no specific agenda. If you search for “Nongkrong”, you’ll get a bunch of cafes. Predicated on a culture of permissibility, where women can loiter with male & female friends 😀☕️

In every single town I visit, there’s usually one person who connects me to their trusted network. Around the world, there are many people like Lavina, who make all this possible. Truly, it is a beautiful global collaboration, enabled by amazing kindness. ❤️

If ever you read anything by me on Aceh 🇮🇩, know that it is indebted to the wonderful *Lavina* She introduced me to mechanics, traders, religious teachers, nurses, police officers, & students Lavina helped me learn so much about what’s driving gender equality I am grateful 🫶

My research assistant is truly fantastic, and is also an Indonesian influencer, with 100k followers on Instagram And she kindly let me ask her followers about their favourite books! 📚

Many have highlighted the decline of reading in Europe & the U.S. This also matters for gender equality worldwide 📚 transport us to another perspective, empathizing with someone else’s struggles, seeing alternatives, thinking differently Photos from Aceh

Morning stroll in beautiful Aceh 🇮🇩

Thank you to Lavina, for interviewing me on her podcast! #Aceh 🇮🇩❤️

In 300,000 years of humanity, it’s an extremely rare & low probabilistic event that people can love whoever they like It trails the Enlightenment, sexual revolution, and the technologies of large-scale persuasion (television normalizing “love is love”) This struggle persists 🏳️‍🌈

In 2016, 60% of British girls said they enjoyed reading. Now it's 40%. And boys? Less than 30%.

Thank you everyone for your engagement! I set out this list of broad principles because I am actually unsure of the specific intervention that would help. We need careful empirical research - tackling these key trade-offs & tussles! 😀

Call me basic, but my theory of fertility can be condensed to 6 bullet points: t.co/uxM6qq4lwx

From Morality Police to Playground Bullies How Some Women Escape While Others Can't www.ggd.world/p/from-moral...

Economists used to mock the idea that video games caused a decline in work hours. But what if they hit something rise? Coupling & babies www.ggd.world/p/how-do-we-...

How do we Boost Birth Rates? A simple diagnosis 👇 www.ggd.world/p/how-do-we-...

On BBC, I suggested that people are more likely to have kids if it’s easy & enjoyable - relative to available alternatives. But as entertainment-tech improves, there are more ways to have FUN! Economic incentives must then outcompete alternatives www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... 54 mins in

What made manufacturing a vehicle for transformational growth was its ability to generate productivity growth while drawing unskilled labor from traditional farming or informality. India is very far from doing this. Which is why I am skeptical manufacturing will solve the country’s growth conundrum.

First, is the share of manufacturing in total employment climbing? Second, are the new jobs mainly for those with median level of education or lower? No evidence of either here. Note that one of the workers in the article has a master’s in math! +

If you're interested in culture, you may enjoy this battle between Acemoglu and me... :-)

What’s the relationship between culture & institutions? Acemoglu & Robinson have just published a brilliant new theory, exploring cultural evolution across world regions But are they right? What about punishment? Here’s my review! www.ggd.world/p/power-and-...

8 rusted screws were in her womb - after gang rape Truly, there is a ginormous divergence in gender relations worldwide. Peace & security is a major factor - both in terms of its effect on women & brutalizing men. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

81% of people in Burkina Faso say the children belong to the father’s side. 52% of BF women of childbearing age are polygamous. This strong sense of paternal ownership - combined with female mobility - may also help explain why 75% of BF women have undergone genital cutting.

Queer migration to Thailand - which recently legalised same-sex marriage

Why are Malaysian police searching a bookstore for “buku haram”? This is actually a great example of my new essay on power and punishment www.ggd.world/p/power-and-...

Cultural evolution? It’s about power, prestige & punishment. www.ggd.world/p/power-and-...

If you're interested in culture, you may enjoy this battle between Acemoglu and me... :-)

What’s the relationship between culture & institutions? Acemoglu & Robinson have just published a brilliant new theory, exploring cultural evolution across world regions But are they right? What about punishment? Here’s my review! www.ggd.world/p/power-and-...

✅ above global average FLFP ✅ multi-ethnic democracy ✅ feminist movement Super excited for my trip to Indonesia. 🇮🇩

Why is Online Dating So Grim? My analysis of perhaps a major challenge, which neither governments, firms, or communities have yet been able to solve. Fixing these frictions requires a deep understanding of culture, so come join me! www.ggd.world/p/why-is-onl...

“My mother and father were part of associations - to get dairy, timber, roads, electricity, to get expensive machines” - Vera (78, born into a poor family in Northern Sweden). She continued, “the basic structure is not built from the top, it’s built by associations” www.ggd.world/p/why-is-sca...