Woman's Hour

The UK government has announced plans to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees over the coming years, with 5,000 coming to the UK in the first year. This will be in addition to those such as interpreters and teachers who helped UK forces on the ground, and are already being offered homes here. Emma speaks to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, on how the announcement will aim to prioritise vulnerable women and children. “I am more than evidence, more than a witness, more than a product of rape. I am not your shame.” That was what our next guest said in her court victim statement, after a man was convicted of raping her mother, when she was then 13, and had gone to his house to babysit. Our guest was conceived from that rape. The man is called Carvel Bennett and he was found guilty of rape, and a fortnight ago he was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Now in her 40s, it's taken years for our guest to secure his conviction. We're not giving her name for legal reasons.A musical on the life of the singer and songwriter Tina

Hot flushes are probably the first thing you associate with going through the menopause. But Radio 2's Liza Tarbuck had an interesting angle on it she wanted us to investigate - gums! Decreases in oestrogen can have a significant effect on your dental health including bleeding gums, burning, a dry mouth and even tooth loss. But the link to menopause and perimenopause is often missed. Dr Uchenna Okoye, Clinical Director of London Smiling Dental Group and Dr Louise Newsom, NHS Advisor for the National Menopause Programme, discuss the signs to watch out for and things you can do to help.Today the government is pulling together a specific plan to help Afghan refugees come and settle in the UK. Girls and women will be especially helped. Women's rights activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has called for world governments to open their borders and take 'bold stances for the protection of women and girls' in Afghanistan. But what might that bold stance look like? Emma Barnett speaks to Shadow Foreign Secretar

Many bigger-busted women find it difficult to find clothing tailored to their chest size. The last time a national size survey was conducted in the UK was back in 2001, so why don’t clothing manufacturers take our bra sizes into account? Edaein O’Connell is a 32H, and has written about her struggle to find well fitting clothes. Dr Kathryn Brownbridge is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Design at Manchester Metropolitan University.City after city has fallen to the Taliban in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul. Blame is being apportioned for who is responsible - the Americans, the weak former government in Afghanistan or our own foreign policy. What seems certain is that women's lives will change dramatically. Lynne O'Donnell is a journalist who until yesterday was in Kabul. Homira Rezai lived in Afghanistan until 2006, aged 13 she moved to Dudley in the West Midlands . Pashtana Durani runs an education charity in Kabul.As the country reels from and mourns the loss of life after the Plymouth shooting

Dating apps have seen a growing trend towards individuals disclosing that they have a mental health disorder in their online profiles. Jo Hemmings a behavioural psychologist and Beth McColl a lifestyle journalist, tell us how and when to tell someone you are dating that you live with a mental health condition? We look at the issue of maternal discrimination with Dr Katie Lidster a scientist who has just won £23,000 damages against her employer – a government backed body. She won the case against UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) after an 18-month battle following the arrival of her second child. She tells us about her case alongside Claire Dawson an employment lawyer. Charlotte Worthington won gold for Team GB in the freestyle BMX event at the Olympics – the first time BMX has ever been represented at the games. She tells us about becoming the first woman to ever successfully land a 360 backflip in a competition.The journalist and co-chair of the Mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls board Joan S

Joy Crookes was nominated for Rising star at the BRIT awards 2020. Born and raised in Elephant and Castle, London, the daughter of a Bengali mother and an Irish father, she grew up listening to an eclectic mix of genres – everything from Nick Cave, to King Tubby, Kendrick Lamar and Gregory Isaac. She came to the public’s attention at the age of 15 when she uploaded a cover of "Hit the Road Jack" on YouTube, and later performed "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?", on the global music platform, COLORS. She has now released "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" as the lead single from her upcoming debut album, Skin.We look at the issue of maternal discrimination with Dr Katie Lidster a scientist who has just won £23,000 damages against her employer – a government backed body. She won the case against UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) after an 18-month battle following the arrival of her second child, Daisy, who was born in 2019 ten weeks prematurely. She was offered a role with diminished responsibilities, four days a week,

Some mums may take a while to bond with their baby after they're born. This can be for a variety of reasons and is in fact very common among new mothers. Journalist and writer Natasha Lunn decided to write about her experience of not falling in love with her daughter immediately. She joins Andrea along with Dr Karen Bateson, Head of Clinical Strategy and Development from the Parent Infant Foundation, to discuss the reasons why bonding may take a while for some women.ASMR - or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response - is a relaxing, often sedative sensation that begins on the scalp and moves down the body. It's grown massively in the last few years, particularly during lockdown. What is the appeal behind it, and why do female voices perform particularly well? We hear from Dr Giulia Poerio and ASMR artist Sharon Shares.In Afghanistan, news reports say that the Taliban are going door-to-door in places, taking girls as young as 12 and marrying them off to militants. With thousands of Afghans fleeing to the capital,

Earlier this year, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female black Asian American Vice President in history. 6 months on, some polling has been interpreted as saying she's the most unpopular Vice President in history. To discuss the recent polling and her work to date we are joined by Sharon D Austin, a professor of Political Science at the University of Florida and Melissa Milewski, a Lecturer in History at the University of SussexAs the government urges people to return to the office we hear your reactions and consider the impact on women. Boris Johnson has called for a “gradual” return over the summer but there’ve been suggestions that civil servants who want to continue to work from home should lose their London weighting or even part of their salary as they no longer incur travelling costs. For the wider workforce the chancellor and some business leaders are calling for people to taper off home working for the sake of their prospects, the economy as well as their wellbeing . We hear listener reac

Today will mark the first time that there will be a single results day for the whole of the UK with AS and A level, vocational qualifications, Welsh Baccalaureate, and Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers grades all at the same time. Although education is a devolved matter for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, all four nations adopted a system of awarding grades this summer based on teacher based assessment. But what impact will those changes to being evaluated mean to the girls who now make up 56.6% of those going to university? And what about those opting for other further education options or apprenticeships? Andrea Catherwood speaks to Grainne Hallahan, senior analyst at the TES, formally known as the Times Educational Supplement; student, Imogen; and Sue Hannan, the Assistant Principle at Furness College in Barrow where they offer a wide range of A levels, apprenticeships and B Techs.Many people across England and Wales have been struggling to register the births of their children, their m

It's a year today since the disputed elections in Belarus. They sparked unrest because the election was widely believed to have been rigged in favour of Alexander Lukashenko, who's held power since 1994. Three women joined forces to challenge Alexander Lukashenko. One of the woman - Maria Kolesnikova - is now in prison and facing trial. Maria’s sister, Tatyana, speaks to Emma on the anniversary of the election. New research appears to show that extremist attackers are often united, whatever their ideology, by a significant history of domestic violence whether as perpetrators or victims. Joan Smith is an author, journalist and the co-chair of the mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls board. In the last year she has been part of Project Starlight, a government-led investigation to further understand the motivations of those who behave in this way.Have you adopted a special pose for photos to make all your pictures instantly Instagram ready? Do you do a flamingo, a street star or a coy pose? Emma is

Will the young women smashing it at the Olympics in the new urban sports of BMX freestyling, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing inspire a new generation of girls to follow in their footsteps? Skateboarder Hannah Shrewsbury and BMX freestyler Kayley Ashworth discuss. Women trash-talking men has gone too far: that's what the journalist James Innes Smith believes. He shares his viewpoint with Fiona Sturges, from the Financial Times and the Guardian, who doesn't agree.Trumpeter, band leader, singer, multi instrumentalist jazz queen. Emma-Jean Thackray on her debut album Yellow, which is number one on the Jazz & Blues Chart.The reality dating show Love Island features for the first time a contestant with a disability Joy Addo, who has a podcast where she talks about her life as a visually impaired, single mum, and Kelly Gordon, the Disability and Inclusion Lead at sex toy company Hot Octopuss, discuss the realities of dating with a disability.The shift to mask wearing and homeworking saw many of us ditch our ma

Anita Rani talks to Emma-Jean Thackray about her debut album Yellow, which has debuted at number one on the Jazz & Blues Chart. Will the young women smashing it at the Olympics in the new urban sports of BMX freestyling, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing inspire a new generation of girls to follow in their footsteps? We talk to skateboarder Hannah Shrewsbury and BMX freestyler Kayley Ashworth.Cricket legend Baroness Rachel Heyhoe-Flint is to be honoured with a gate named in her memory at Lords and we hear reaction from her son Ben Heyhoe-Flint. A drug that has been used to treat critically ill patients suffering from Covid may also help women who struggle with heavy periods. A small trial, in development long before the pandemic, has found that the steroid Dexamethasone, a cheap anti-inflammatory drug, could help reduce heavy menstrual bleeding. We hear from Dr Pamela Warner, the lead author of the research.Sex worker Charlotte Edwards explains how she applied

Bette Davis was one of the biggest names in Hollywood, nominated for ten Oscars and her extraordinary career spanned almost sixty years. An outspoken and dedicated actress, she created some of the most compelling characters in cinema history. As the BFI launches a whole season dedicated to her this month, we hear about her life and legacy.The new NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard has urged people aged 18-30 to come forward and be vaccinated. 3 million under 30s have yet to be jabbed, and one in five people currently in hospital in England with Covid are in the 18-30 category. Professor Susan Michie tells us what can be done to address young adults concerns. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's political career hangs in the balance, as the pressure for him to resign mounts. He's been accused of sexual misconduct by 11 women and an independent report corroborates the stories. If he goes, the first female New York Governor is likely to be elected. Cuomo denies the allegations and has shown no willingness stand down

The shift to mask wearing and homeworking saw many of us ditch our make-up during the pandemic. Perhaps not the best time to launch a new beauty business – but that’s what Bobbi Brown has done. She talks to Emma Barnett about her new beauty range and her career in the industry.Phantom of the Opera was first performed 35 years ago in London’s West End. It’s the second longest-running musical here, the longest running show in Broadway history and has been performed worldwide and seen by more than an estimated 130 million people in 145 cities across 27 countries. It has just reopened and Lucy St Louis is playing the female lead – Christine Daee, the first Black woman to play this role. From George Eliot to JK Rowling, it is no secret that there is an assumption some men are put off by reading works written by women. But with figures showing men are four times as likely to pick up books written by other men than women, whereas women are just as likely to read books by men as they are by women, what is going wrong

All eyes were on Laurel Hubbard at yesterday's women's Olympic weightlifting. That's because she's the first transgender athlete to compete in the Games, but it was Team GB's Emily Campbell who made history. Five years ago, Emily was working with children who had special needs, but now she's the first British woman ever to stand on the Olympic podium for weightlifting, taking home the silver. We talk about women and weightlifting with Sam Prynn from StrongHer Gym.Women trash-talking men and attempts to redress the gender imbalance have gone too far: that's what the journalist James Innes Smith believes. He shares his viewpoint with Fiona Sturges, from the Financial Times and the Guardian, who doesn't agree.Some NHS trusts have issued guidance stating that people should stay on hospital wards based on the gender they identify with and can choose which showers and toilets to use. That's according to today's Daily Telegraph. But many people feel that the privacy from single sex wards is part of their recovery. T

Over the weekend Carrie Johnson announced she was expecting another baby describing it as a "rainbow" baby because she'd experienced a miscarriage earlier this year. Ruth Bender Atik from The Miscarriage Association talks to Andrea. Journalist Miranda Levy describes her new book, ‘The Insomnia Diaries’, as a ‘self-help’ memoir looking at eight and a half years of disabling insomnia. Miranda recovered and has used her experience to explain what she thinks we should do when facing insomnia and- what NOT to do. Daisy Maskell is a tv and radio presenter. In a soon-to-be-aired BBC 3 documentary she says she realised at the age of nine that she didn’t sleep like other people. They join Andrea. Watching the Olympics on TV is not what Amber Hill imagined she would be doing. The night before she was due to leave the UK for Tokyo, the 23 year old shooter had to withdraw from the Games after testing positive for Covid. She was due to compete in the Women's Olympics Skeet competition, in which she was a finalist i

The writer Jeanette Winterson tells us why women need to be at the heart of the Artificial Intelligence revolution and about her new essay collection which covers 200 years of women and science.The British stand-up comic, writer and actor London Hughes tells us about making it big in America and the difficulties of dating during a pandemic.The singer-songwriter, Josie Proto, tells us about her frustration towards the extreme measures women feel they need to take in order to simply get home safely. She performs the new song it has inspired ‘I Just Wanna Walk Home’.We hear why the government’s new violence against women and girls strategy ignores the needs of black and minoritised women. We hear from Ngozi Fulani, the founder and director of Sistah Space, a small charity that offers specialist support for African & Caribbean heritage women affected by abuse and from Professor Aisha Gill, an expert criminologist working on violence against women and girls in Black and minoritised communities for over 20 year

Since moving to the US last year, the British stand-up comic, actor, writer and presenter London Hughes is making it big. Her stand up special To Catch A D*ck - originally performed at the Edinburgh Fringe - has been adapted for TV and is streaming globally on Netflix. She’s also one of the hosts of Netflix's weekly chat show Afterparty and a new comedy Hot Mess is set to follow with Universal. Her success in the US comes not long after she spoke out about the lack of opportunities in the UK given to black female comic talent to shine. She speaks to Anita from LA. Has the pandemic contributed to an increase in stalking? The number of stalking and harassment offences rose by 28 per cent in the year to March 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust say that half of the one hundred and eleven stalking victims they surveyed, had experienced an increase in the behaviour either online or offline during Covid lockdowns. Anita is joined by their Chief Executive Suky Bhaker t

Jeanette Winterson talks about her new essay collection which covers 200 years of women and science, from Mary Shelley to AI. She asks what love, caring, sex and attachment will look like when humans form connections with non-human helpers teachers, sex-workers, and companions? And what will happen to our deep-rooted assumptions about gender? Will our own bodies be enhances by biological and neural implants making us trans human and keeping us fitter, younger and connected? When Ena Miller gave birth to her baby called Bonnie just over a year ago - she expected to receive the standard comments..."Oh she's so beautiful, aww look at her little nose, she's so cute, aww what a big baby..." She did get those, but she also got negative remarks from friends and strangers about the colour of her baby's skin. Ena realised she was not alone and went to meet two other mothers Fariba and Wendy to talk about their experiences and ask for their advice.Colourism, which is also called shadism or skin tone bias, is prejudice

An estimated 50% of women in the UK will have a urinary tract infection at some point in their lives and between 20-30% are likely to have a recurrence. For some, these recurrent infections can lead to a significant impact on their health and way of life. Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster, a medical historian from McGill University with a personal history of UTIs has produced a documentary with two others, to shine a light on the experiences of women with UTIs. She and Dr Catriona Anderson, a GP specialised in treating UTIs, discuss why some women feel failed by the system. We need to rewrite the rules of child protection says Professor Carlene Firmin. She talks to Jessica Creighton about her work in this area, how it differs from previous approaches and how it might help the ‘disappearing girls’ Woman’s Hour has talked about recently – those young girls, often in care, at risk of sexual exploitation who regularly go missing. Anna Holland a consultant social worker for the NSPCC joins them.Rising singer-songwriter, Jos

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.