Woman's Hour

Top perfume brands may have the “worst form of child labour” in their jasmine supply chains, a BBC Eye investigation reveals. Jasmine is considered to be one of the most valuable ingredients in some of the world's most iconic perfumes. Nuala McGovern is joined by BBC Eye correspondent Heba Bitar and producer/director of the documentary: Perfume’s Darkest Secrets, Natasha Cox.Grammy and Tony award-winning songwriter Anaïs Mitchell is the creator of the musical Hadestown – a genre-defying retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth blending folk music and New Orleans jazz. With productions on Broadway and now at the Lyric Theatre in London, Anaïs performs live in the Woman’s Hour studio and talks to Nuala about the origins and impact of Hadestown. The 'lad’s mag' Loaded is back - with Liz Hurley once again on the cover. Sarah Ditum, journalist and author of ‘Toxic: Women, Fame and The Noughties’, joins Nuala to give her reaction.In our series of hobbies you've restarted after decades, we hear from Rosie, who re

Ruth Jones is live in the Woman’s Hour studio to talk about playing the Mother Superior in a West End production of Sister Act. She discusses getting out of her comfort zone by appearing on stage for the first time since 2018 and working on her fourth novel. Plus what can fans of Gavin and Stacey expect from the Christmas special?What happens in relationships when one person wants a family and the other definitely doesn’t? Is missing out on the chance to have children a deal-breaker? Or do some couples decide to stay together, with one person choosing the relationship over a baby? As BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers explores the dynamics between a couple in this situation, Nuala McGovern hears from Joanna Van Kampen who plays Fallon Rogers in The Archers and relationship therapist Cate Campbell.With the cost of renting and living on the rise, housing insecurity is an increasingly harsh reality for many. A survey by Shelter and YouGov found that 54% of women feel that being a renter has held them back. Three youn

From the Pre-Raphaelites to Picasso, Vermeer to Freud, some of the most famous Western artwork involves an artist’s muse. So who are the muses who have inspired great art? How do they embody an artist’s vision? And why has the muse artist relationship led to abuse of power? Nuala speaks to art historian and author Ruth Millington and to writer, curator and podcaster Alayo Akinkugbe.Penelope Tree was one of the most famous models of the 1960s and the muse of her then boyfriend, the photographer David Bailey. Despite appearing on the cover of Vogue and being credited by Bailey with kick-starting the flower-power movement, Penelope’s life became increasingly difficult as their relationship began to flounder. These events have inspired Penelope’s loosely biographical novel Piece of My Heart and she joins Nuala to discuss her depiction of life as a ‘60s muse.In ancient Greek mythology, the nine muses are the inspirational goddesses of the arts, science and literature. So who are the nine muses? Nuala speaks to cla

As India goes to the polls in the penultimate round of voting in their general election, Anita speaks to the BBC’s Divya Arya in Delhi. They discuss what political issues are most important to women in this election, and how the main parties have been wooing them.Valérie Courtois was recently announced as the winner of the 2024 Shackleton medal for her work revolutionizing climate conservation in the Canadian arctic, most notably for her vision connecting Indigenous Guardians as ‘the eyes and ears on the ground’ to preserve ecosystems. Valérie talks to Anita about leading the movement for indigenous-led conservation and land stewardship.   Carys Holmes is a 17-year-old girl with an ambition to join the British Army. She passed all of her army selection tests but says she was later taken aside and told she was being rejected because of an 'extensive' history of breast cancer in her family. Anita is joined by Carys who explains that the army has now retracted its decision. Emma Norton, a lawyer and Director of

There will be a general election on 4 July. Campaigning will start at the end of next week, but already some of the key players are speaking out. What are women's top concerns in this election? What do women want addressed? Anita Rani speaks to Professor Rosie Campbell, professor of politics and director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London, who has been looking at women's voting behaviour for many years.Head teachers who are a part of St Albans Primary Schools Consortium have urged parents not to give their children a smartphone until they are aged 14. Anita speaks to Rachel Harper, principal of a primary school in County Wicklow in Ireland about what advice she would offer one year after she and seven other headteachers in her town asked parents not to allow their children phones until they were older.Olivier award-winning theatre maker Marisa Carnesky is taking over an entire street at this years Brighton Festival with her show, Carnesky's Showwomxn Sideshow Spectacular,

The endurance runner Imo Boddy has smashed the 45-year-old world record and become the fastest known woman to complete the UK Three Peaks. She joins Nuala McGovern live on the programme.Do you know what love bombing is? One of our Woman’s Hour listeners Lynn got in touch to say it’s something we should be discussing. She joins Nuala alongside relationship therapist Simone Bose to explain more about what love bombing is, and how we can all look out for the warning signs.Nuala is joined by the artist Kerry Samantha Boyes whose work you may have seen in the Barbie Movie, or the Lord of the Rings. Kerry makes fake food for a living and her studio, The Fake Food Workshop, will be one of 104 studios open to the public for the Spring Fling art event, which takes place across Dumfries and Galloway this weekend.Some of Britain’s most vulnerable children are being detained and having their freedoms restricted under court orders known as “deprivation of liberty”. The most senior family court judge for England and Wales

A new documentary on BBC Two is looking at how new forensic techniques can help police re-examine old cases involving sexual assault and rape, helping to convict perpetrators from decades ago. Cold Case Investigators: Solving Britain’s Sex Crimes tells the story of three cases that were re-examined. One is that of Karen, who was raped in 1983. She joins Nuala McGovern alongside Detective Constable Hayley Dyas, who helped work on her case and finally get a conviction.On 28 July last year the British cyclist Lizzy Banks received an email from UK Anti Doping to say she had return two Adverse Analytical Findings. The letter stated she faced the prospect of a two-year ban unless she could establish the source. Thus began a ten-month journey investigating, researching and writing submissions to establish how the contamination event occurred. Absolved of any blame, having proved on the balance of probabilities that her test was contaminated, Lizzy speaks to Nuala about how the process destroyed her mentally, emoti

The long awaited final report of the public inquiry into the infected blood scandal is published today, The inquiry was announced in 2017 after years of campaigning by victims. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, approximately 30,000 people were infected with blood contaminated with HIV and Hepatitis C. Over 3,000 have since died, with one person estimated to die every four days in the UK. The affected groups include those who received infected blood via blood transfusions, such as women following childbirth, and individuals with haemophilia—predominantly males—and others with similar bleeding disorders who received contaminated blood products. Around 1,250 people with bleeding disorders, including 380 children were infected with HIV. Fewer than 250 are still alive today. Some transmitted HIV to their partners. Nuala McGovern speaks to Clair Walton, who gave evidence to the inquiry. She has been campaigning for years for the wives and partners who became infected to be heard and acknowledged.Anita Pallenberg w

A female officer in the military says she was raped by a senior officer who was responsible in the Royal Navy for behaviours and values, including sexual consent. Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Hour, the female officer, who we are calling Joanna, reported the incident and her allegations to the military police who brought charges against the officer. However, the Services Prosecution Authority later said that they wouldn’t be taking the case forward to a military court. The female officer, who feels she has been forced to leave the military, says that her career has been left in ruins, whilst his continues. The Royal Navy has said “sexual assault and other sexual offences are not tolerated in the Royal Navy and anything which falls short of the highest of standards is totally unacceptable" and that since the alleged incident they "have made significant changes to how incidents are reported and investigated." Nuala spoke to Joanna and the Conservative MP and member of the Defence Select Committee, Sarah Ather

After going viral on social media earlier this year, new bar La Camionera is planning to open a permanent inclusive venue for “lesbians and their friends”. Reporter Martha Owen has been following as they prepare to open and hears why these spaces are important from DJ Yvonne Taylor, event organisers Jess Whiting Boult and Tabs Benjamin, and poet Joelle Taylor. And Anita Rani is joined by filmmakers Erica Rose and Elina Street, creators of The Lesbian Bar Project, to discuss their award-winning series about lesbian bars in the USA and Germany.Period tracker apps claim to help women to predict whenthey might start their period and calculate the best time to attempt to conceive. The Information Commissioner's Office has said that a third of women have used one. A report out this week, however, has raised serious questions about the way in which this data is used. The study, by Kings College London and University College London, examined the privacy policies and data safety labels of 20 of the most popular of t

Schools in England should not teach about gender identity, according to new draft guidance from the government, due to be published in full today. There is also a plan to ban sex education for under-nines. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the new guidance would ensure children were not "exposed to disturbing content". Anita Rani talks to Elaine Dunkley, BBC Education Correspondent to find out the latest.Talking about her new book, 'How To Win A Grand Prix', Formula One expert Bernie Collins takes Anita behind the scenes of an F1 team, and explains how she forged a career working as a performance engineer at McLaren for names such as Jenson Button, then became Head of Strategy at Aston Martin, with world champion Sebastian Vettel. Yesterday senior coroner Martin Fleming issued a warning after Georgia Brooke was fatally strangled or "choked" by her boyfriend, Luke Cannon, during sex. Mr Cannon was himself found dead the following day. The coroner described the practice of choking as "dangerous" and said "it

Over half of female footballers book pitches, only to find they’ve been reallocated to men. With twice as many women as men considering quitting the sport because of this, Arsenal forward and England Lioness Beth Mead tells Nuala McGovern about her concerns.A BBC investigation published today has highlighted the concerns of parents of vulnerable children sent hours away from home for urgent eating disorder treatment. They say there isn’t enough specialist mental health hospital care available locally on the NHS and they want an end to the postcode lottery. We hear from Donna whose daughter Annie had to be based far from her family and BBC Yorkshire investigations journalist Louise Fewster also joins Nuala.Mexican author and academic Cristina Rivera Garza has just won a Pulitzer Prize for her book about her sister, who was murdered in 1990. It’s called Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice. Cristina joins Nuala to explain why she feels she wrote it with, not about, her sister, whose name

How many women have decided not to have more children after a traumatic birth? The UK’s first inquiry into traumatic childbirth has found that too often poor care is normalised, with devastating effects on women’s mental and physical health. Nuala McGovern talks to one Woman’s Hour listener who decided she couldn’t face having another child after a traumatic birth, and to the author of the report, Dr Kim Thomas, about its recommendations. Journalist Decca Aitkenhead regularly sleepwalks. She talks to Nuala about her night-time escapades which include finding herself locked out in the middle of the night, eating food she’d find disgusting when awake and incredible strength that has seen her smash furniture to pieces. She’s joined by neurologist and sleep expert Prof Guy Leschziner who explains what’s going on in our brains when we sleepwalk, and how women are affected. New analysis from the TUC, the Trades Union Congress, says that more than 1.5 million women have dropped out of the workforce because of lo

A female officer in the military says she was raped by a senior officer who was responsible in the Royal Navy for behaviours and values, including sexual consent. Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Hour, the female officer, who we are calling Joanna, reported the incident and her allegations to the military police who brought charges against the officer. However, the Services Prosecution Authority later said that they wouldn’t be taking the case forward to a military court. The female officer, who feels she has been forced to leave the military, says that her career has been left in ruins, whilst his continues. The Royal Navy has said “sexual assault and other sexual offences are not tolerated in the Royal Navy and anything which falls short of the highest of standards is totally unacceptable" and that since the alleged incident they "have made significant changes to how incidents are reported and investigated." Nuala hears from Joanna and the reaction from the Conservative MP and member of the Defence Select Co

The number of children in care is continuing to rise each year, and thousands of new foster carers are needed. The comedian and writer Kiri Pritchard-McLean has done just that. During lockdown, Kiri and her partner embarked on a journey to become foster carers in north Wales and she’s ‘evangelical’ about the role. It’s the subject of her new seven-month comedy tour, Peacock.The debate on assisted dying is often framed around the issues of choice for the terminally ill, but what about the rights of the disabled? Actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr has major concerns about potential changes to the law that she believes could leave people with disabilities at risk. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss her documentary “Better Off Dead” which explores the debate from the perspective of disabled people.Four girls sitting in detention on a Saturday at their local Mosque are stuck in darkness after a power outage. To pass the time, they tell Somali folktales and bond in a modern day take on The Breakfast

Five babies have died from whooping cough this year as cases continue to rise in England. Medical doctor Dr Saleyha Ahsan, who currently has whooping cough herself, joins Clare McDonnell to discuss. Author, journalist and campaigner Dame Shirley Conran has died aged 91, days after receiving her damehood. Journalist Felicia Bromfield joins Clare to discuss her legacy. What would happen if you could only speak the truth – and not even tell white lies? That’s the subject of a new book by Radhika Sanghani, called The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie. Radhika herself hasn’t lied for two years – she joins Clare to talk about why she wanted to write the book and the things she’s learnt from telling only the truth. Despite the challenges posed by the Taliban regime, economic instability, poor infrastructure, and the ongoing suppression of women's rights, foreign tourism is reportedly increasing in Afghanistan. The country's authorities have begun training hospitality professionals and assert that Afghanistan is safe fo

The debate on assisted dying is often framed around the issues of choice for the terminally ill, but what about the rights of the disabled ? Actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr has major concerns about potential changes to the law that she believes could leave people with disabilities at risk. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss her documentary “Better Off Dead” which explores the debate from the perspective of disabled people. Singer songwriter Rachel Chinouriri is one of the music industry’s rising stars, gaining plaudits from celebrity fans, including Adele, Sophie Turner and Florence Pugh, for her nostalgic Indie sounds. Rachel performs live in the Woman’s Hour studio and talks about her first album, What A Devastating Turn Of Events, which is an intimate exploration of Rachel’s experiences and relationships. Money is a topic many of us don't feel comfortable talking about. Be it in a romantic relationship, with our parents or even with our friends. But it's a topic that financial psychother

Now that women’s sport is advancing, we need clear safeguarding rules for women and girls about what is and isn’t okay when it comes to talking about female health outside the realm of medicine. That’s the call from Baz Moffat, one of the co-founders of The Well HQ, which aims to break barriers in women’s sport and champion education about female health. She joins Hayley Hassell to tell us more about their new Safer Sport poster campaign and why it’s needed.Once one of Russia's biggest pop stars, Manizha represented the country at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021. Then Russia invaded Ukraine and Manizha used her songs and her platform to share her anti-war views. Subsequently her concerts were cancelled, her music banned and Manizha's safety, both in real life and online, has been compromised. She talks to Hayley about her life and her new single Candlelight.How do we keep children safe online? Hayley is joined by Esther Ghey and Marinna Spring to discuss Ofcom's new safety codes of practice.Bestselling au

What’s like to start again with nothing? On New Year's Eve of 2018, journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde lost everything she owned in a storage unit fire in Croydon, where she'd stowed all her possessions. She has written about it in the book, Lost & Found - 9 life-changing lessons about stuff from someone who lost everything. She joins Hayley Hassall to describe her experience and explain why we get so emotionally attached to our belongings.The BBC Series I Kissed a Girl started over the weekend... it's the first UK dating show for gay women. Dannii Minogue hosts the show where ten single women are matched up with a partner to see if sparks will fly and the women will find love. In the first episode, all the women are matched with a partner and start getting to know each other. Comedian Catherine Bohart and TV critic Daisy Jones discuss.The number of children in care is continuing to rise each year, and every year thousands of new foster carers are needed. The comedian and writer Kiri Pritchard-McLean has don

We are all ageing, if we're lucky, so in this Woman's Hour special programme, we're exploring how women can age well. Anita Rani is joined by a panel of women of different ages to talk about the possibility of re-invention and the wisdom of age, as well as the difficulties and barriers women face as they get older. What we can learn from each other and how can women of different generations support each other? Author and psychologist, Dr Sharon Blackie’s book, Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life, explores stories of little-known but powerful elder women in European myth and folklore – with the hope of inspiring women now. She joins Anita to discuss what we can learn from these stories and the power she feels we can gain if we embrace getting older. NHS GP Dr Radha Modgil is often to be found on BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks. Radha joins the discussion to explain the things we can do specifically to age well. She highlights exercise and nutrition, as well as the real need for women to have purpose in