Raising Feminist Boys in a Patriarchal World (with Sonora Jha)

Is it possible to raise kind, feminist boys in our era of manosphere misogyny?

Sonora Jha, an Indian-American immigrant and single mother, says yes. But it takes a lot more than good intentions. 

She reflects on raising her son across cultures, teaching empathy through film, talking frankly about sex, consent, and body image, and modeling apology without demanding forgiveness. She pushes back on the idea that feminism harms boys, showing how it can actually free them from shame, silence, and isolation.

Sonora Jha joins us to talk about her book, How to Raise a Feminist Son: Motherhood, Masculinity, and the Making of My Family.

Full transcript is available here at relationscapes.org. 

Fellow Traveler Episodes

• Testosterone, Y Chromosomes, and Other Manly Excuses, with Matthew Gutmann
• Detoxing Masculinity, with Ronald Levant and Shana Pryor
• Masculinity, More Liberated and Free, with Frederick Joseph
• Learning About Masculinity Today from the Ancient Romans, with Mike Pope

About the Guest

After a career in journalism in India and Singapore, Dr. Sonora Jha became a professor at Seattle University. She is author of four books, including How to Raise a Feminist Son (2021). Her novels include The Laughter, which won the 2024 Washington State Book Award for Fiction and was named one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New Yorker, NPR, and others, Foreign (2013), a finalist for the Shakti Bhatt Prize and the Hindu Prize, and her latest, Intemperance.