Woman's Hour

As the conflict continues in Ukraine, we've seen footage of predominately women and children fleeing the country. But that is just one aspect of this conflict. There are also many women who have stayed in Ukraine and signed up to fight. Back in December, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence expanded the number of women who are eligible for mandatory service in the armed forces. They will be joining the 57,000 or so women, aged 18 to 60, already serving. But is there an appetite for more women to sign up? And what roles are they likely to play? Jessica Creighton hears from Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP who describes her new reality of being trained to use an assault rifle to defend her family and her country and Dr. Olesya Khromeychuk, Director of the Ukrainian Institute, London.President Joe Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, calling her "one of the nation's brightest legal minds". She will be the first black woman to serve in the court's 232-year history if confirmed and would m

In an exclusive interview, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and future Queen Consort talks to Emma about her work with domestic abuse survivors. They are joined by Diana Parkes whose daughter Joanna Simpson was battered to death by her estranged husband in 2010.Olena Symonenko tells us about her escape to a safer part of Ukraine only to find out that her apartment that she had lived in all her life had been hit by a bomb.The actress and writer Joanna Scanlan known for her many roles in TV shows such as Getting On and The Thick of It, talks about her BAFTA nominated film After Love. Do we change our bodies because we want to or because we are being pressured to conform by society? Cambridge Professor of Political Philosophy Clare Chambers considers this question and concludes that the unmodified body is under attack, particularly for women, who are constantly given the message that their body is not good enough just as it is. Her new book is Intact – A Defence of the Unmodified Body.Margaret Atwood's latest collec

A pivotal moment in the history of trade unions and women’s rights is to be marked by English Heritage with the placement of a blue plaque commemorating the 1888 matchgirls’ strike in East London. Curatorial Director of English Heritage, Anna Eavis, tells us about the protest, its real role in the Labour movement and why it has been so misconstrued throughout history.Millions of people across Ukraine are this morning making choices they never dreamed they'd have to make. Olena Symonenko told us about her escape to a safer part of the city only to find out that her apartment that she had lived in all her life had hit by a bomb overnight. The BBC Correspondent Sarah Rainsford told us about conversations she's been having with people on the ground in South East Ukraine and from Iryna Terlecky, the Chair of the Association of Ukrainian Women in Great Britain, about the work they are doing to help families in Ukraine.Earlier this week the US Women’s national football team reached a $24 million settlement with the

Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall is now at the heart of the royal family. In her ascension day message which begins a year of celebrations to mark seventy years on the throne, the Queen said that once Prince Charles becomes King, her sincere wish is that Camilla will be at his side as Queen Consort.It's recognition for her loyalty, and her work campaigning on a variety of causes and in particular that of domestic abuse. It was a meeting in 2016 with a woman called Diana Parkes that inspired the Duchess.Diana's daughter Joanna Simpson was battered to death by her estranged husband in 2010 with their two children within earshot. After the killing, Diana setup a foundation to help transform the lives of children impacted by domestic violence and it was at a meeting of the charity SafeLives that she first met the Duchess. In our interview we reunite them at Clarence House to hear how her story has inspired the work of a future Queen.Emma also speaks to the clinical psychologist David Trickey from the child ment

Margaret Atwood's latest collection of essays, Burning Questions, gathers together her essays and other occasional non-fiction pieces from 2004 to 2021. She is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, and The Blind Assassin which won the Booker prize in 2000. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid's Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was also a Booker Prize winner (with Bernadine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other). Margaret joins Emma to talk about culture wars, free speech, feminism, grief and being in your 80’s.The Labour MP Harriet Harman has called for a full investigation into how a housing association failed to realise that a female tenant had apparently been left dead in her south London flat for more than two years. Harriet joins Emma to talk about this happening in her constituency, and also how she has been coping since the sudden death of her husband Jack Dromey last month."There was u

One in six people in England and Wales have a criminal record. A new campaign #Fairchecks spearheaded by charities Transform Justice and Unlock reveals the experiences of women whose lives have been ruined by minor offences as much as 30 years on. To coincide with the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill, going through the final stages of parliament, they are asking for amendments to shorten the time people must disclose their conviction, helping to give some people’s a fairer chance at a fresh start. Emma is joined by Rachel, now 36, who acquired a criminal record at the age of 19, and by Angela Cairns, CEO of Unlock. Do we change our bodies because we want to or because we are being pressured to conform by society? Cambridge Professor of Political Philosophy Clare Chambers considers this question and concludes that the unmodified body is under attack, particularly for women, who are constantly given the message that their body is not good enough just as it is. Her new book is Intact – A Defence of th

Today Woman's Hour has an exclusive investigation into the women who have survived domestic violence but are being exploited a second time by ‘rent farming’. These women, trapped in what is known as 'exempt accommodation' after fleeing abuse, say they often come out more traumatised than when they moved in. We reveal the legal loopholes which allow landlords to receive higher - enhanced - housing benefit, which they're meant to spend on wrap around support to get tenants' lives back on track. But many don’t and are accused of financially ‘gaming the system’.Later this week the Royal Academy is opening an exhibition called Whistler’s Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan. Very little is known about Joanna, she was an Irish model who became Whistler’s confidante and muse for at least two decades. But Professor Margaret MacDonald from Glasgow University, who is the curator of the exhibition, has been trawling through the archives for decades, to find out all she can about her; shining a light on Joanna's partnersh

Mina Smallman, the mother of the murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman is one of the key women who called for Dame Cressida Dick to resign from her position as Metropolitan Commissioner. As negotiations continue on when Dame Cressida will leave, we get Mina’s reaction.Do we need a family planning one as well? Lawyer Natalie Sutherland has become one of Britain’s first fertility officers and Becky Kearns is co-founder of ‘Fertility Matters at Work.’ They talk to us about why more companies should consider appointing one.During lockdown, full-time carer and former history teacher, Joanna Williams sat down at her kitchen table and wrote the biography of 'The Great Miss Lydia Becker.' She thought the world needed to know about the 19th Century Manchester suffragist - beyond the few lines she had found in a text book.Children aged between 5-11 in all four nations of the UK are to be offered a low dose of the Covid vaccine. Dr Elizabeth Mann, an immunologist at the Lydia Becker Institute at the Universit

The National Theatre is embarking on a seven week tour of secondary schools. Their radical reimagining of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ with two female leads will be watched by more than 10,500 students from across the UK, bringing live theatre to underserved areas like Doncaster, Sunderland and Wigan. It aims to create conversations about issues like Police sexual abuse, violence against women and online misogyny. Emma discusses the play with its director, Kirsty Housley.35-year-old Christina Yuna Lee was attacked and stabbed in her New York apartment after a man followed her into her building. Her murder has caused outrage in the city amid questions about the vulnerability and safety of the Asian community in the city. Communtiy activist Grace Lee joins us from New York.Author Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel Black Cake tells the story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. She joins Krupa to discuss how stories shape our identity and how se

Schools in the Indian state of Karnataka reopened yesterday after protests broke out in response to the state government trying to ban women wearing the hijab in classrooms. The issue gained widespread attention after videos and images of girls wearing hijab getting heckled while being denied entry to school went viral. Protestors took to the streets to condemn the decision, and women have marched in solidarity in cities across India. Divya Arya, BBC woman’s affairs journalist and Sumayyah Khan, a law student at the Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh join Krupa Padhy.It's been announced that children aged between 5 and 11 in all four nations of the UK are to be offered a low dose of the covid vaccine. Children are at a much lower risk of becoming severely ill from a Covid infection, so the health benefits of vaccinating them are smaller than in other age-groups. Also, many will have some protection from already having caught the virus. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), whi

An out-of-court settlement has been reached between Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre. She'd accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. He's always denied it and hasn't admitted any liability. We examine what the settlement means for Virginia Giuffre with the lawyer, Georgina Calvert-Lee and Jess Phillips MP, who's Labour's Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding.There have been some desperately sad news reports recently about children who've been killed by those they loved and trusted. We talk in depth about child protection? Are vulnerable and at-risk children being removed quick enough from their families? Or do we have a system which takes too many children away without trying other ways to help first? We speak to author and journalist, Polly Curtis who's been investigating this issue as well as Alison Bavidge from the Scottish Association of Social Workers Do you know who Lydia Becker was? She was a suffragist, and one of our listeners really got into her during lock-down. Jo

Mina Smallman whose daughters were killed in a London park gives her reaction to the latest revelations from the Metropolitan police. Vladimir Putin could launch an invasion of Ukraine "almost immediately", the UK believes as diplomatic efforts continued to avert a war in eastern Europe. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Monday an invasion could take place within 48 hours as he urged Russia's president to step back from the "edge of a precipice". We hear from two women on the ground in Ukraine.We have health & safety officers, diversity officers, and even wellness officers in the workplace. Do we need one for family planning as well? We speak to lawyer Natalie Sutherland, who has just become Britain’s first Fertility Officer, and, Becky Kearns, Co-founder of ‘Fertility Matters at Work’ to find out why more companies should consider appointing one.Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell

The award-winning poet Imtiaz Dharker has specially selected her favourite "Love Poems" together in a beautiful collection for the Folio Society. There are recent and ancient poems, poems that talk about the animal magnetism of love and others of more profound devotion, but they have all been arranged carefully to speak across centuries and cultures. Imtiaz also shares with Emma her writing tips for those who want to compose something for the person they love today.A record number of women are standing in the French presidential elections in April across the breadth of the political landscape. It’s the first election since the global #metoo movement and commentators are considering whether this could have an impact on the outcome. We hear from Catherine Nicholson who is the European Affairs Editor at France 24 TV and Agnes Poirier UK Editor of L'Express.At-home early abortions were introduced at the start of the pandemic to prevent the number of people visiting clinics, but the legislation is due to expir

Marian Keyes writes funny, clever novels about the tough stuff in life. Her new novel Again, Rachel revisits Rachel Walsh whose story of recovery from addiction was told in the 1997 novel Rachel's Holiday. Marian explains how her own experience of addiction and recovery shapes the stories she tells.In the glamorous world of luxury property selling high-end homes can be a cut-throat business. Sophie Leigh and Chloe Cable from the reality show Mega Mansion Hunters discuss their uphill struggle to become successful women in the industry.Donna McLean first heard about undercover cops having relationships with female activists in 2010 when Mark Kennedy, an undercover police officer who had spent years pretending to be an environmental campaigner, was unmasked. She didn’t realise until years later she was also a victim of the Spy Cops scandal. She has written a memoir Small Town Girl: Love, Lies and The Undercover Police.A group of mothers in Massachusetts exorcise their pandemic frustrations by screaming in a grou

Dame Cressida Dick, the first woman to lead the Metropolitan Police has resigned. We've covered every twist and turn of the many high profile crimes against women and girls involving the Met Police over the last two years. We get reaction from Kristina O'Connor, the daughter of Des O'Connor, who has her own experience of inappropriate Met Police behaviour. Also, Jamie Klingler from Reclaim These Streets, Zoe Billingham who's the former Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and Harriet Wistrich, Director of the Centre for Women's Justice.We hear from Tukwini Mandela, one of Nelson Mandela's oldest grandchildren. Thirty two years to the day, Nelson Mandala was released from Robben Island. Tukwini is here to explore how much the UK population really knows about black history.We speak to Marie Penman who left her job with the charity-side of Raith Rovers football club because it signed David Goodwillie. He was the player who a Scottish civil court found to have raped a woman.Sheila Ferguson. who used to be one

Today the Prince of Wales will unveil a statue of Licoricia, a Medieval Jewish woman outside where she once lived on Jewry Street, Winchester. The statue is hoped to inspire women and provide education on the UK’s Jewish history. Emma is joined by Rebecca Abrams author of ‘Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Mediaeval England’, on why Licoricia’s story is so important.Brit-award winning singer-songwriter Kate Nash, known for her expressive and honest lyrics sung in a North London accent, is coming to venues again very soon. She's got a tour, a fifth album and even a musical coming out this year. You may have seen her in the series, GLOW on Netflix based on the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling from the 1980s and she's got a new single, 'Imperfect' out tomorrow along with a new video in the theme of 'Galantine's Day.' She joins Emma live from LA to talk all about releasing new music and learning how to wrestle.Boris Johnson has just made Samantha Jones the most powerful woman in No. 10. No, not the S

Marian Keyes writes funny, clever novels about the tough stuff in life. Her books feature addiction, break-ups, poor mental health with women at the heart and lots of good men as well. Her new novel Again, Rachel revisits Rachel Walsh whose story of recovery from addiction was told in the 1997 novel Rachel's Holiday. 25 years later Rachel has come full circle and is now working at the rehab facility where she got into recovery all those years ago. Marian joins Emma to explain how her own experience of addiction and recovery shapes the stories she tells and why happy endings are so important to her.Voice messages left on a crisis hotline ignored for six weeks. More self-harm incidents than any other women's prison. Violence high and a regime that's uncaring and punitive. These are the findings of an inspectorate report out today into Foston Hall, a women's prison in Derbyshire. Four other women's prisons in England have recently been inspected too. Across the board, self-harm has increased in women's prisons

Downing Street has said the Prime Minister will not be apologising for claiming that the Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer, while Director of Public Prosecutions failed to prosecute Jimmy Saville for sexual assault - a claim that is false. There have been renewed calls for Boris Johnson to retract the comments after Sir Keir was targeted yesterday by a gang of protestors near Parliament - some of whom could be heard shouting "paedophile protector". The Prime Minister has described the demonstrators' behaviour as "disgraceful". It brings to the fore the issue of MPs and their public safety. Kim Leadbeater is the sister of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, and now represents her sister's former constituency of Batley and Spen for Labour. She speaks to Emma.New analysis says that almost 300,000 people were unable to see a cancer specialist within two weeks of an urgent referral between April and November last year. The research, which used information from the House of Commons library and was commissioned by the Labour

The celebrations to mark her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee have officially begun. with events up and down the country over the coming months. One woman who's preparing her own very special tribute to the Queen is 92 year old Margaret Seaman. Margaret made headlines last year with her 'knitted Sandringham' which painstakingly recreated the palace and grounds of the Queen's Norfolk estate. Margaret joins Emma from her home in Great Yarmouth.Imagine finding out the love of your life never existed. Donna McLean first heard about undercover cops having relationships with female activists in 2010 when Mark Kennedy, an undercover police officer who had spent years pretending to be an environmental campaigner, was unmasked. She didn’t realise until years later she was also a victim of the Spy Cops scandal. Over 40 years, British police officers were sent undercover to infiltrate left-wing activist groups. Over 30 women, so far, have found out the men they fell in love were actually spying on them. In 2015 a message from

Two women with no previous rowing experience have smashed the world record for the fastest female pair to row across the Atlantic. We hear from Jessica Oliver and Charlotte Harris who rowed 3000 miles over 45 days in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, battling 30 ft waves, sharks and sleep deprivation. Photo credit Atlantic CampaignsVile text messages have come to light which were shared between police officers belonging to the Metropolitan Police. The IOPC has said: "We believe these incidents are not isolated or simply the behaviour of a few 'bad apples'." The Met has said that it is 'sorry'. We hear reaction from Zoe Billingham, former Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary. And we hear from listener Amanda,. Her son, George, is planning to join the Police later this year and she is worried but he is determined to be part of the change. Big investment firms are missing out on up to 2.37 trillion pounds of potential investment because of their poor record in attracting female investors. That was a wa