Woman's Hour

Emma Barnett talks to the award winning actor Claire Foy about playing the Duchess of Argyll in the BBC One TV series A Very British Sacandal this Christmas. Margaret Argyll was branded a nymphomaniac by her husband the 11th Duke of Argyll in their explosive 1963 divorce hearing and he was granted a divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery.The Scottish comedian Janey Godley tells us about her recent diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The sixty year old is best known for her parody voiceovers of Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of her daily press briefings made during lockdown. Just a month ago Janey Godley was forced to cut short her UK tour when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The father-daughter bond can for some be a difficult one - but for others, a joy. Karen Teasdale-Robson from Blaydon, near Newcastle has gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure her father, Bryan isn't forgotten when he dies. Her dad for the majority of his life was a poet and a songwriter but an assault ten years ago

Actor Tamsin Greig on starring as the formidable theatrical agent Peggy Ramsay in the revival of ‘Peggy For You’, at the Hampstead Theatre. She also talks about her role in “wild” hospital comedy Green Wing, playing Debbie in The Archers since 1991, and Friday Night Dinner.Journalist Ash Sarkar and Professor Heidi Safia Mirza discuss the legacy and significance of the American feminist author and activist bell hooks, who died this week aged 69.Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth - the national police co-ordinator for violence against women and girls - unveils her new strategy and gives her opinion on whether misogyny should be made a hate crime.In November 2020 a family court found that the conservative MP Kate Griffiths' then husband, Andrew Griffiths (also a former conservative MP and former minister) raped, abused & coercively controlled her. These were civil proceedings, so the finding was based on the balance of probabilities, rather than the criminal standard of probable doubt. As is the norm in fa

Ebony Louise Barrett has now become Fridge Girl, after a video she put on TikTok went viral. It was a tall, free-standing fridge falling on top of her as she danced. She's OK, but even Janet Jackson has picked up on it. How has it changed her life? Three young women from Generation Z talk about the big social issues of the year, and why they feel the label 'woke', which is often attached to this age group, is off the mark. We have Maisie Thompson from Manchester, Jessie Stevens from Devon and Mia Manttan from London. Inspirational quotes from an American author and feminist called bell hooks are being shared. She died this week at home in Kentucky. She was considered a trailblazer in feminism and published 40-odd books. We've got two of her admirers: Ash Sarkar and Heidi Safia Mirza. We speak to Elaine Parker who's just set up a new app which she hopes will make online dating safer. She was inspired to create it because of the bad experience she had with a man she met online. She explains to Anita how it wor

During a recent Business Questions in parliament Jacob Rees Mogg took a moment to mark the feast of St Æthelgifu, and called the medieval abbess one of Britain’s leading saints. But was she? What do we really know about Æthelgifu and the other leading medieval women at this time? We talk to Florence Scott, a historian of early medieval England, studying for a PhD at Leeds University, and who runs the blog Aelfgif-who?A new survey shows that for the first time more women than men are sitting as non executive directors on boards. But at the same time nine out of ten executive directors are still men. We talk to Tessa Bamford from Spencer Stuart the organisation that conducted the research and also to Ann Cairns Executive Vice Chair of Mastercard who is also the lead non-executive board member of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).On Tuesday we talked about pregnant women getting jabbed, getting the booster and fears that some women have about how it will affect their fertility.

There is no doubt that the pandemic is still affecting people's social lives, but perhaps the most affected are teenagers or 'quaranteens'. Many young people have missed out on major social milestones - parties, teen romances and opportunities to be with their mates - which can be so formative. What is the impact of missing out on these experiences? And how can adults best support 'quaranteens'? Emma talks to Laverne Antrobus, a consultant child and educational psychologist.The woman charged with co-ordinating the national police response in England and Wales to violence against women and girls unveils her strategy on Woman’s Hour. Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth is the new national police co-ordinator for violence against women and girls. The aim is give the 43 police forces around the country a uniform approach, and make women and girls feel safer in their daily lives. We’ll also get reaction to the new strategy from Amelia Handy from Rape Crisis Centres. It’s been a particularly stressful couple of y

Actor Tamsin Greig on her latest role as the legendary agent Peggy Ramsay. The Prime Minister has announced that all over 18s in England are being offered a Covid-19 booster vaccination. But as he sets out this new target has that message reached pregnant women? Emma talks to Dr Viki Male a Reproductive Immunologist based at Imperial College LondonTens of thousands of volunteers are needed to come forward to support the NHS booster campaign. Do you plan to volunteer? What are the benefits of volunteering? And as Miss World celebrates being 70, we hear from women who protested against it in the 1970's. Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley PurcellPHOTO CREDIT; Shaun Webb.

The company SAGA has decided to give employees who've just become grandparents some special leave. They say it's about helping new grandparents celebrate but also it's to highlight how important older workers are, not just to the company but to families and wider society. So if you're a grandparent providing childcare for your kids, what's the cost? What does it take out of you, time-wise and energy wise? How much are you saving your kids? And do you see it as a precious thing you’ll never have the chance to do again, or after a while is it too much pressure? We hear from one of our listeners Linda who looks after two of her grandchildren and Shireen Kanji, a Professor of Work and Organisation at Brunel University.New Covid measures are being introduced across the UK, because of the threat posed by the Omicron variant. In England it's known as Plan B, and mandates mask-wearing, working from home and Covid passports. However, around 75 Conservative MPs are expected to rebel as it's put to a vote in the House

Musician and composer, Zoe Rahman has won a MOBO, a British Jazz Award, and this week Zoe was awarded the ‘Impact Award’ at the 2021 Ivors Composer Awards.Julia Chain the chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, made a plea for the 1990 Act governing fertility clinics and practice in this country to be updated. She argues that after 30 years, the science and culture around IVF has changed so much, and that the law needs to catch up. This week Ministers revealed a 10-year drugs strategy which includes £300m for combating more than 2,000 county lines gangs. Sahira Irshad and Jen Jones are part of Mums United, a group of local mothers fighting against rising gang violence in Sheffield. 23-year-old Vee Kativhu was told Oxford university wasn't for people like her - she proved her teachers wrong by graduating recently from there with a degree in in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. She's now studying International Education Policy at Harvard. Her popular Youtube channel gives out studyi

Catfishing is the practise of using a fake profile to start an online romance. The podcast Sweet Bobby has been shining a light on this issue through the story of Kirat Assi, a 42-year-old radio presenter who started a relationship with a person she thought to be Bobby, a handsome cardiologist, via Facebook. However, when he repeatedly fails to visit her in person, she slowly comes to learn his true identity. She shares her story with Anita, and is joined by investigative journalist Alexi Mostrous who explains the current legislation around catfishing.Is the world of horse racing being forced to face up to its own #metoo moment this week? A light has been shone on the bullying and harassment endured by professional jockey, Bryony Frost, on and off the track by a male jockey who has now been banned for 18 months, with three months suspended. We hear from race trainer Gaye Kelleway, the first woman to ride a winner at Royal Ascot, and from Annamarie Phelps, the Chair of the British Horseracing Authority.Earlier

Jazz musician Zoe Rahman has been described as one of the brightest stars on the contemporary jazz scene. She takes influence from her English, Irish and Bengali heritage to write music with swing, lyricism and intimacy. She’s a MOBO Award winner, British Jazz Award winner and now an Ivors Composer Award winner. She speaks to Emma - unfortunately we aren't able to include her live music performances in the podcast for copyright reasons. We discuss the resignation of senior government advisor Allegra Stratton over the Downing Street party video, with Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine and the Mirror's Political Editor Pippa Crerar.Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of British-Iranian detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe talks to Emma about his recent 21 day hunger strike outside the Foreign Office in London and his ongoing campaign to secure his wife's release from Iran, and he and their daughter face another Christmas without her.German leader Angela Merkel has officially left office after 16 years and a new chancello

Allegra Stratton has found herself at the centre of a political storm. ITV footage shows her rehearsing a TV news conference and dealing with tricky questions about Christmas parties during covid lockdowns. Staff are laughing and joking. We speak to political journalist Pippa Crerar, who broke the original story of the Downing Street party as well as other gatherings. We also get reaction from Jo Lawrence who has a catering company, and whose Mum sadly died of covid last year.We talk about women in chess with Woman Grandmaster and nine time British woman's chess champion Jovanka Houska and Aga Milewska, Director of Women’s Chess at the English Chess Federation.An Afghan mum, who's in a hotel with her family, is having to move to her third hotel since she got here a few months ago. We find out what life is like for her and her children, and speak to Judith Dennis from The Refugee Council about why this constant moving is happening. We hear from Tanya Borg whose daughters are still in Libya, after their fathe

Emma speaks to the Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, about the government’s plans to improve women’s experiences in the armed forces. In particular she asks him to explain why the government has rejected calls for rape or sexual assault committed in the military to be tried in civilian courts, away from military courts.Education activist Vee Kativhu talks to Emma about why she set up her own YouTube channel, Empowered by Vee, shortly after arriving at the University of Oxford. Today, the Law Commission has published a major report on hate crime. One of the areas examined was the proposal to make misogyny a hate crime and so a criminal offence. To the disappointment of a coalition of women's rights campaigners, the Law Commission has said the move would not solve the “real problem” of hostility or prejudice directed against women because of their sex or gender. Emma is joined by criminal law commissioner, Professor Penny Lewis from the Law Commission. and Sue Fish, the former constable of Nottingh

In our series Under Pressure we've been looking at what happens to relationships when couples are put under extreme strain: how do they cope? Today we hear from Kate and Annie who live in Northumberland. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. In March, Julia Chain was announced as the new chair of the HFEA. Now Julia is calling for the 1990 Human Fertilization and Embryology Act to be updated. She joins Emma to discuss the changes she wants to see.We talk to Deborah Bull and Jill Baldock about how dancing can lift your mood.A report out today from the Institute for Fiscal Studies says there's been 'almost' no progress towards closing the gender pay gap in the last 25 years. Professor Lucinda Platt, who's on the panel of the IFS Deaton Inequalities review, and who researches inequality at the London School of Economic, explains why not. If your facial fillers aren’t to your liking, or worse injected in a dangerous spot, you can get them dissolved with a subst

Brené Brown's Tedx talk 'The Power of Vulnerablity' is one of the most viewed talks in the world with more than 50 million views. Her new book 'The Atlas of the Heart' takes on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. Photo credit: Randal Ford. Calls for Boots, the chemist to permanently reduce the price of the morning after pill. With campaigner Rosie Stokes, and the Labour MP Diana Johnson.More than 4,000 women gave evidence to the Defence Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces for its landmark inquiry, which was published earlier this year. This week the Ministry of Defence responded to the recommendations from that inquiry. We heard from Sarah Atherton, Conservative MP and Chair of the Defence Sub Committee.Raising awareness of the complexities and realities of being a stepmum today, with Katie Harrison, host of a a new podcast 'You're Not My Mum: The Stepmum's Side' and Suzie Hayman, a counsellor and spokesperson for the parenting charity Family Li

Brené Brown has always called herself a mapmaker and in her sixth and newest book, the Atlas of the Heart, out this week, she takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. Her TEDx talk “the power of vulnerability” is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with more than 50 million views. She joins Anita.This Sunday marks 100 years since women's football was banned by the English Football Association. Because of Covid the Women's FA Cup final, traditionally played in May, will take place with Arsenal taking on Chelsea and shown live on the BBC. Kelly Simmons, director of the Women's Professional Game at the Football Association; and Jen O' Neill, editor of football magazine She Kicks discuss the game.The number of tribunal cases in which employees are alleging menopause related discrimination is on the rise. Analysis of the Courts and Tribunals Service has shown that menopause was cited ten times in the first six months of 2021, and cou

The Women’s Tennis Association has suspended all events in China over concerns for the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. Her safety has become a matter of international concern after she posted sexual assault allegations against former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli and then disappeared from public view. She has since reappeared and has said she is safe and well but there are still concerns for her wellbeing. Last week China’s foreign ministry said it was not a diplomatic matter and the issue had been maliciously hyped up. In a timely new book, 'China Unbound: A New World Disorder', the journalist Joanna Chiu says that for far too long western societies have mishandled or ignored Beijing’s actions, out of narrow self-interest. She believes decades of wilful misinterpretations have, over time, become complicit in the toxic diplomacy, human rights abuses, and foreign interference China engages in today. Joanna speaks to Krupa Padhy about Peng Shuai, the #metoo movement in China and her work as founder and chair of Nu

The US Supreme Court is set to hear a case on a Mississippi abortion law, which would ban abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. It was signed in 2018 by the state's then Republican Governor, Phil Bryant. But it was blocked by several lower courts, so didn't come into effect. Now, Mississippi is asking the Supreme Court to rule in favour of their law and overturn the landmark case of Roe v Wade, which legalised abortion nationwide. Our reporter Melanie Abbott spoke to Jenny Ma, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents the last abortion clinic in Mississippi and Amanda Taub, a reporter for the New York Times, joins Chloe live.Many of us have probably scribbled a poem to past lovers, but imagine writing a whole book dedicated to them. The poet Kim Moore has done just that with her new collection All the Men I Never Married. She joins Chloe to talk about the impact of those different relationships and the contradictions and complexities of desire. Last Saturday while talking to f

Emily Ratajkowski is an American model, entrepreneur & writer. She rocketed to fame aged 21 when she took part in Robin Thicke’s music video, Blurred Lines. At the time Emily argued that the provocative display of her body represented a form of feminist empowerment. In her first book, My Body, she argues something more nuanced. The chemist Boots is in the firing line from campaigners. For Black Friday, Boots halved the price of the morning-after-pill and now campaigners want the reduced price to become permanent. Emma is joined by journalist Rose Stokes & Diana Johnson, Labour MP. Yesterday was big news for the Caribbean island of Barbados, as it cuts ties with the British Crown to become a republic. The country has sworn in its first president - Dame Sandra Mason. Celestina Olulode reporter for BBC World Service, joins Emma from Barbados.89-year-old barrister Margaret Owen OBE recently embarked on a 6-day hunger strike to raise awareness of the case of British-Iranian detainee Nazanin Zag

Vivianne Miedema of the Netherlands and Arsenal has been crowned the winner of BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2021. The annual award from the BBC World Service is voted for by football fans from around the world. She is the all-time leading scorer in the FA WSL (women’s super league) and has scored more goals at the international level for the Netherlands than any other player, across both the women's and men's teams. This month, November 2021 she became the first player in the history of the WSL to score against every team they have faced, after scoring against Manchester United.The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is due to go on trial in New York City today on sex trafficking and other charges - in a highly anticipated trial. She is expected to challenge claims she groomed underage girls for convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein for sexual abuse. He died in prison in 2019. She has been in a US jail since her arrest last year. Laura Pullman is the Content Editor at the Sunday Times and is the former

‘The Drifters Girl’ is a musical which tells the story of Faye Treadwell, one of the first Black women to manage a vocal group in the US. Singer and actor Beverley Knight plays Faye.We discuss the ongoing appeal of the Cinderella story with Faye Campbell who is playing Cinderella at York Theatre Royal and Dr Nicola Darwood who recently co-edited a new book with Alexis Weedon called Re-telling Cinderella: Cultural and Creative Transformations.On Tuesday Sikh Women’s Aid launched a report into domestic abuse and child sexual abuse within the Sikh community. Conducted via anonymous surveys sent out over the summer, the survey of nearly 700 respondents showed that 70% had experienced domestic violence and 35% had experienced child sexual abuse or exploitation. To tell us more about this report and what can be done to help the issue, we're joined by the co-founder of Sikh Women's Aid and co-author of the report, Sahdaish Pall.We used to have YOLO, then FOMO, now we have HOGO. Post lockdown, the fear of missing out