I am delighted to introduce Evelyn Höllrigl Tschaikner in today’s FemalExperts Role Model Interview. Evelyn is a freelance journalist, content creator and co-author of several books, including “Mythos Mutterinstinkt” and “Nachwehen“.
In her new book “The Daily Feminist – Microfeminism works!“, she shows how we can make a big difference with small gestures, clear words and conscious micro-actions. Because it’s often not the big debates, but the inconspicuous everyday moments that decide how seriously we really take equality.
1 Dear Evelyn, I am delighted to be able to introduce you to our readers and our community in today’s interview and to start with a leap into the past: you come from South Tyrol and now live with your family in Vienna. To what extent has your life and career shaped your feminist perspective?
Certainly at least a little bit. Specifically, I’m thinking of my school days at grammar school. I went to a Catholic girls’ school and there were 29 of us in the class. However, our principal, a nun, was not as conservative as you might expect. She was basically a feminist. The cohesion between us girls is something I remember very fondly.
2. you have been writing very successfully on your blog “Little Paper Plane” since 2016, including on the topics of motherhood and becoming a mother – later your work shifted to Instagram. What prompted you to share your experiences so openly?
When I got pregnant with my daughter in 2015, terms like mental load, motherhood or care work didn’t exist yet. And no, it wasn’t that long ago. But all the things we can name now were invisible 10 years ago. And it pinched. I soon realized that not everything was as rosy as the advertising images wanted me to believe. The pregnancy wasn’t “magical”, and the birth certainly wasn’t. But it felt like there were few voices talking and writing about it at the time, so I started the blog and later shifted my work entirely to Instagram.
3. for many in our community, the topic of “care work” is a very central one. How do you reconcile writing and your journalistic work with your everyday life as a mother? Are there any routines or rituals that help you in particular?
Care work is a cornerstone of our society. Without it, many people would not be able to pursue gainful employment. At the same time, care work often remains invisible, is unpaid and over 75% of it is performed by women worldwide. That’s why I understand the question about my compatibility, but I would like to ask a counter question: Would you also ask a father this question?
The fact that this imbalance exists is of course structural and can hardly be broken down to an individual level. Whether reconciliation is easy or difficult depends on many factors. That’s why I can’t give any general tips, except perhaps this one: compatibility is like Tetris. As soon as one piece fits, the next one falls.
4 As a freelance journalist and co-author, you have already published two books (“Mythos Mutterinstinkt” and “Nachwehen”). How has your understanding of what it means to be a mother changed?
I believe that writing these two books has made me the mother I am today. The first book, Nachwehen, is primarily about difficult birth experiences, whether cesarean, vaginal birth or anything in between. Writing it down, coming to terms with it and talking to gynecologists, midwives and doulas have accompanied me on my own journey.
The second book, Mythos Mutterinstinkt, was a tremendous learning experience. It literally untied a knot. The many (neuro-)scientific findings that we have compiled in it make the book something very healing. And this applies not only to mothers, but also to fathers, foster and adoptive parents and rainbow families. Because at its core, that’s what it’s about:
Caring is not a question of biology, but of attitude. Parenthood is not something that simply comes naturally, it has to be learned, even by those who have given birth to the children.
5. your blog posts, books and journalistic texts often come across as humorous and light, even when dealing with serious topics. Is humor a “feminist” tool for you to make challenging topics accessible and tangible?
Yes, absolutely. Humor is an important tool for me, especially when it comes to serious topics. It creates access and makes it possible to reach a wider audience. I also believe that laughter connects people, it breaks down barriers and can create a strong sense of community. It is precisely this feeling of connection that makes it easier to make even difficult topics visible.
6. your new book “The Daily Feminist“, which was published on September 24, 2025, contains the word “microfeminism”. How would you explain this term in one sentence, especially in comparison to “classical” feminism?
I don’t see microfeminism as something that stands alongside classical feminism, but rather as a part of it. It’s basically a term that makes feminism visible in everyday life. It’s not about distinguishing between “right” or “wrong” feminism – there is no such thing. Rather, microfeminism shows that we can also have an impact on a small scale, in our individual everyday lives. You don’t necessarily have to be loud, go on demonstrations or get politically involved, even if that is of course important and right. But even through small actions, changes in attitude or a change in perspective, we can live feminism and thus influence our immediate environment.
7. what challenged you the most when writing the book?
The biggest challenge was cutting it down. At the beginning, I had collected well over 250 microfeminisms, then reduced them to 222 and finally to 199. And there could have been many, many more. Patriarchal patterns are deeply rooted in our everyday lives, often in small things that seem so normal that they go unnoticed. The more intensively I looked into it, the clearer this became.
8. in your book 199 you give very specific tips for action for more equality in everyday life and some of the ideas seem so fresh and unusual, such as that anger can create connection. Would you like to take us along on this specific train of thought? How does such a connection actually take shape?
I believe that many women are angry – and quite rightly so. We have been oppressed for centuries: our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. We carry this anger within us. Time and again, I experience that when I post something on social media that should actually make people angry, many women gather in the comments and are angry together. For me, that’s a good sign. Because anger doesn’t have to be destructive. It can unite and it can be constructive. We can use anger to initiate change, take up more space and introduce necessary changes in perspective, especially in the context of parenting. I love the idea that anger is not divisive, but can also be a force for community and change.
9. your tips are intended for everyday life. Are there also limits to microfeminism where you say that major structural changes are needed?
Of course there are limits. In the context of microfeminism, “micro” does not mean “small”, but refers to the micro level, i.e. our everyday lives. This is where we have a direct impact, this is where microfeminism comes in.
However, when we talk about major structural changes, we are talking about the macro level. We can achieve little there as individuals, but only collectively. And yes, structural changes are urgently needed in order to advance equality. Because even if we can live our everyday lives in a feminist way, we quickly come up against deeper limits, such as the gender pay gap, the unequal distribution of care work, protection against violence or access to safe contraception and abortion.
10. micro-actions can quickly seem banal. How do you manage to give them meaning and power instead of letting them fall into insignificance?
Banality is always a question of perspective. What seems trivial to one person can be a great challenge and require a lot of courage for another. That’s why I don’t like to talk about triviality in this context. I always find it fascinating that small things are often portrayed as unimportant or trivial – isn’t that a deeply patriarchal thought? Does something have to be big and loud for it to be important?
For me, microfeminism means consciously choosing actions in everyday life that feel good, are easy to implement and perhaps give us a new perspective on existing structures. And what may seem inconspicuous to some can be a completely new, empowering impulse for others.
11. language is a central part of feminist debates. Which small linguistic interventions do you particularly like to recommend?
I think language is one of the most valuable tools for living microfeminism in everyday life because it makes so many imbalances visible.
- Why is there a “Drama Queen”, for example, but no “Drama King”?
- Why do we speak of a “family father” but not of a “family mother”?
- Why the “working mom” but not the “working dad”?
- Or why do we use terms like “mare biting”, “pussy” or “having balls”?
Language shows very clearly how the world around us is understood. And if we recognize these patterns, we can also use language as a tool to question and change imbalances in our environment.
12 Your book is being published at a time when the term “feminism” seems to be polarizing many people (again) and is also often instrumentalized. How do you deal with headwinds or criticism, especially on social media?
In recent years, I have noticed that the tone on social media has become much harsher. Insults and threats have increased noticeably, especially if you are a woman dealing with the topic of feminism and equal rights. I receive comments every day that show very clearly how much work still lies ahead of us before we live in a society in which women who speak out are not insulted or belittled (by men).
One pattern that emerges time and again is the idea that these men have that women must be unhappy if they are not quiet. In their world view, only “quiet women” are good, happy women. This is of course complete nonsense, but it shows how the image of the “hysterical woman” has been curated. I see it more as a last gasp of patriarchal structures before we hopefully move in a more positive and equal direction. And until then, take it (like so many things) with humor.
13. if you had to name one mini-challenge from the book that we could all implement immediately, what would it be and why?
Good question – I actually have over 199 answers. But if I had to break it down to just one, I would say: say no more often. Saying no without justifying or apologizing for it. We women have been socialized to be as polite, friendly and courteous as possible. Saying no breaks with this expectation of the “gentle woman” and that is exactly what triggers so many, including the men in my comment column. There is therefore an incredible amount of power in a simple no. It sounds banal, but for many it’s a real feat of strength. And at the same time a very good start.
Dear Evelyn, thank you very much for this open and inspiring conversation. Your book is a strong signal for all of us that change does not always have to start loud, big and radical, but that it is the small, consistent steps that make the difference. Your work makes an important contribution to making feminist perspectives visible, natural and effective in everyday life.
About the author
Kinga Bartczak advises, coaches and writes on female empowerment, new work culture, organizational development, systemic coaching and personal branding. She is also the managing director of UnternehmerRebellen GmbH and publisher of the FemalExperts magazine .
