Woman's Hour

Rachel Weisz seems to have had constant work in the film industry since the early nineties. She's been in all kind of films: historical, action, science fiction, serious, art-house. Now she's diving into the world of superheroes with the new Marvel film, 'Black Widow'. Anita speaks to her about her latest role.The nation is transfixed - after many years of hurt could England be on the road to winning a major trophy? Football journalist Flo Lloyd-Hughes joins Anita.Sri Lankan author Kanya d'Almeida has been named the Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winner of 2021. Her winning piece, "I Cleaned The-" features two women who share a room in a refuge run by nuns, for people who have nowhere else to go. Kanya talks to Anita about her winning story, motherhood, mental health and paying for childcare in Sri Lanka.Northern Ireland politics is stuck. Continued disagreements between the power-sharing parties have led to stagnation in the Northern Irish Assembly, leaving lots of services in the lurch, including access to

The future of the High Street looked challenging before the pandemic but as shops have reopened it’s become evident how urgent the situation now is. Many brands or their outlets have gone bankrupt or moved online. More than a decade ago Mary Portas outlined this trend with a government review into the problem, but she is now urging people to rethink their whole relationship with shopping and consumerism and move towards a 'kindness economy' as we come out of the lockdown. She has now written a book about this called Rebuild. She joins Krupa Padhy to discuss, alongside Suzannah Clarke who has published research saying women are the key to the regeneration of the High Street economy. Women are responsible for 85% of spending there and she says they need to be taken into account in future planning if the downward trends are to be reversed.Eilidh Doyle is Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete of all time. The Olympic, World and European medal holder had hoped to compete in the Olympics in Tokyo th

The work of female rangers protecting wildlife from poachers. Collet Ngobeni of The Black Mambas and Holly Budge of How Many Elephants discuss.The Chief Inspector of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman on the problem of sexual harassment and abuse in schools, and what needs to be done to bring about change.Jackie Collins was one of the most successful female authors of all time but often just dismissed as the Queen of Sleaze. We hear from Jackie's eldest daughter, Tracy Lerman and from Laura Fairrie, director of the new film Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins story. Laurel Hubbard will be the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics. She's part of the New Zealand women's weightlifting team. She qualifies on the basis that her testosterone levels have been kept below a certain level for at least a year. But how does a reduction in testosterone affect other aspects of the body - such as muscle mass and strength? We hear from Joanna Harper, a PhD researcher at Loughborough University.A new £50 note featuring the Ble

The Labour and Cooperative MP Stella Creasy is threatening legal action over her forthcoming maternity leave cover. Backbench MPs are currently allowed to take informal maternity leave, but not all their duties are covered during their absence. For instance they can employ office staff to help with constituency issues Ms Creasy says she’s currently only being offered two thirds of her salary to employ a suitable replacement but she says that won’t cover important tasks like meeting Ministers, media work or doing school visits. Also a replacement is unable to speak in the House of Commons or attend parliamentary committees. Ms Creasy has said: "I think every woman should be able to have paid maternity cover, proper cover - it's not just about being paid, it's that somebody else will be doing that job.”She may just be 13 years old but Libby Scott has just released her third novel ‘Ways to Be Me’ in collaboration with the author Rebecca Westcott. Along with the hugely successful Can You See Me? and Do you Kno

Sports psychologist Dr Josephine Perry has some insight into what makes athletes tick, but wasn't prepared for what happened to her yesterday morning when she was doing laps at a swimming pool. A man she had overtaken pulled her under water by her feet and held her down, before shouting at her. When she shared the incident on social media her timeline filled up with women saying similar things had happened to them.“Purity Culture” is a term used in conservative households that attempts to promote a biblical view of purity by discouraging dating and promoting virginity before marriage. Chloe speaks to two young women – Chrissie and Kirtika – about their own experiences of growing up in households that promoted purity culture.On Thursday it'll be 100 years since the Plumage Act banned the importation of feathers for use in hat-making. At its peak in the late 1800s, the trade in plumage was placing over 60 bird species at risk of extinction. But then a group of women, led by Emily Williamson, started a 30-year c

The presenter, journalist and “Queen of Mean”, Anne Robinson, is best known for her acerbic style of presenting on 'The Weakest Link'. In the 1960s she was the first young female trainee on the Daily Mail, worked at the Sunday Times and the Daily Mirror, and went on to host programmes from Points of View to Watchdog. Today Anne takes up the Countdown reins as the first female host of Channel 4’s longest running series. She will join numbers whizz, Rachel Riley and wordsmith, Susie Dent, to make a formidable female trio. She joins Chloe Tilley.Last week the government voted down proposals to make it illegal to film or photograph someone breastfeeding without their consent. MP’s like Stella Creasy, who has experienced this herself when teenage boys took photos of her as she breast fed her baby while on a train, and the MP Jeff Smith, wanted to make an amendment to the Voyeurism Act of 2019 - more commonly known as the Up-skirting Act - which focused on making it illegal to take photos and films of the lower

Anita Rani with Bank Note designer Debbie Marriott, Protecting the title "nurse", Author Kate Moore & "Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner"Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Managers: Emma Harth * Gayl Gordon

Britney Spears spoke publicly in a LA court yesterday about the conservatorship that she sees as controlling her life. Her father was granted control over her affairs after she went to hospital because of mental health concerns. Now she says her father controls her "100,000%" and told the judge she was traumatised and cried every day. "I just want my life back," she said. We talk to BBC Newsbeat reporter Lindsay Brown and the writer Pandora Sykes who presents a soon to be released, eight-part podcast series called Pieces of Britney.We talk about Jackie Collins who was often dismissed as the Queen of Sleaze but she's one of the most successful female authors of all time. But who really was the woman behind the glamour? A new film is coming out about her called Lady Boss, so we talk to the film director Laurie Fairrie as well as Jackie's eldest daughter, Tracy Lerman. This week we had International Women in Engineering Day, so today we celebrate some of our future scientists. Three of them have just won the GSK

Nightclubs are shut, dancing at weddings is not allowed and gigs and festivals are still uncertain. If you want to dance you have to do it at home. Woman's Hour shares your DIY dancing stories and gets tips from Guilty Pleasures DJ, Sean Rowley and Strictly dancer, Amy Dowden. Laurel Hubbard is going to be the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics which starts next month. It's controversial, and she'll make history. She'll be part of the New Zealand women's weightlifting team at Tokyo. Laurel came out as transgender in 2013 - and qualifies for the Olympics on the basis that her testosterone levels have been kept below a certain level for at least a year. But how does a reduction in testosterone affect other aspects of the body - such as haemoglobin levels, muscle mass and strength - that could influence competitive performance? And what research is needed to help inform the balance between inclusivity and meaningful competition in sport? Joanna Harper, a PhD researcher at Loughborough Univers

Wednesday will be the first ever World Female Ranger Day, celebrating the work of female rangers around the world who do an important but ultimately dangerous job protecting wildlife from poachers. The emphasis this year is on the work of female rangers in Africa where there are approximately 3,500 female rangers in teams in 18 countries all over the continent working to protect endangered wildlife. One of those women is Collet Ngobeni of the all-female team The Black Mambas in South Africa. Emma also speaks to Holly Budge, the founder of the charity How Many Elephants.Miscarriage is a unique type of grief - occurring in one in four pregnancies - and yet it still often goes unacknowledged. Women usually wait 12 weeks before announcing a pregnancy so if they experience miscarriage early on it can be an extremely distressing and lonely experience. For women who do choose to share the news and then discover they have miscarried, it means having to inform family and friends who may find it difficult to know the

The Chief Inspector of Schools Amanda Spielman, talks to Emma Barnett about the problem of sexual abuse in schools and colleges and reflects on what needs to be done to bring about change. Divya Chadha Manek who has just been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List tells us about her work with the Vaccine Taskforce, and Dr Jen Gunter, an American gynaecologist, obstetrician and author of 'The Vagina Bible' explains how Boric Acid Pessaries are being used to treat bacterial vaginosis . Do men need to actively become allies to the women they work with to stop sexism and discrimination? Would challenging behaviours that disadvantage female colleagues - from interrupting women in meetings to making assumptions about the career opportunities they want - make a difference? Emma talks to Hira Ali, a leadership trainer and author of a new book called 'Her Allies' and to Gary Ford who has co-written 'The Accidental Sexist', a handbook for men on workplace diversity.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lis

Composer Shirley J. Thompson is the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years. She tells us about her new work Emanation, which she’s written for the disabled-led ensemble BSO.Dame Darcey Bussell Former Principal of The Royal Ballet & Strictly Judge, President of the RAD & creator of Diversity Dance Mix, Dame Darcey Bussell tells us about her mission to rescue Britain’s ballet dancers and raise spirits and money for struggling dance companies by creating the British Ballet Charity Gala at the Royal Albert Hall in London bringing together eight ballet companies in one evening of dance.We discuss the results of a BBC Freedom of Information request which asked police forces in the UK how many police had been accused of sexual misconduct. We hear from our reporter Melanie Abbott, from Ruth a former officer who found herself being sexually assaulted by a colleague and Harriet Wistrich from the Centre for Women’s Justice.This year the government has announced a

Dame Darcey Bussell is the former Principal of The Royal Ballet & Strictly Judge, President of the RAD & creator of Diversity Dance Mix. She joins Anita to talk about her passion for dance and her mission to rescue Britain’s ballet dancers, and raise spirits and money for struggling dance companies, by creating the British Ballet Charity Gala. The event was performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London bringing together eight ballet companies in one evening of dance. It will be pay per view streamed from 7pm tonight and available on demand until 18 July.This Sunday is Father’s Day, and a new film out today on Netflix – ‘Fatherhood’ - explores the life of a single father raising his daughter. What is it like for the men who are lone parents? And how do young women feel growing up without a mother? Anita speaks to two fathers, and their daughters, to share their stories.The government has just published its delayed review into how the criminal justice system deals with rape in England and Wales. It com

Composer Shirley J. Thompson is the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years - New Nation Rising, A 21st Century Symphony, which was originally commissioned for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, and then used for the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. She’s now composed a new work, Emanation, which she’s written for the disabled-led ensemble BSO Resound. The ensemble is giving a live-streamed performance of the world premiere from Lighthouse, Poole.Earlier this week, Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi at a Jewish college in New York. But as a woman, her ordination is not recognised by the Orthodox community in the UK. She is also no longer able to teach at the London School of Jewish Studies. Lindsey talks to Emma about the positive role of women within Orthodox Judaism and why she thinks opinion on female rabbis is starting to change. However, hers is by no means a position shared by all women within the community. Rachie Binstock explai

The singer-songwriter Jessie Ware was nominated for Female Solo Artist and Album of the Year at this Year’s BRIT Awards. She was also included in Barack Obama’s favourite music playlist of 2020. Jessie has been busy in lockdown recording new songs for the deluxe Platinum Pleasure edition of her hit album What's Your Pleasure? In tandem with her music career, her family’s passion for food led to her weekly podcast Table Manners with her mother Lennie, and she has just released her second book - Omelette - a loving gaze of life through eating and food. She joins Emma to discuss some of her favourite food memories from white bread and spaghetti Bolognese to chopped and fried fish – and omelettes.A few weeks ago the Times newspaper published the results of an investigation which said that the Police and social services were failing thousands of girls as young as 11 who had been repeatedly reported missing while at risk of sexual abuse. One child in West Yorkshire had ‘disappeared’ 197 times in three years. We s

Summer’s here and despite the restrictions still in place on social gathering we’re still managing to meet up with friends and enjoy the odd night out. One aspect of that is of course looking your best and a big part of that is your hair, which has had to take a backseat in terms of grooming and maintenance over the last eighteen months of lockdowns. But, we are returning to salons and apparently trying lots of new and old styles, as well as getting more creative with colour. Hair stylist Nicky Clarke gives Emma Barnett a summer make over and Camilla Kay from Glamour Magazine points out the trends including seventies flicks and “big hair” and the “Shullet” – the modern take on the mullet.Most of us would think of the police as a safe place to turn to in a time of need. But it's a belief that has been seriously questioned by a couple of incidents over the past year. In a joint investigation with Newsnight we asked police forces in the UK, how many police had been accused of sexual misconduct. Of course mos

We hear many stories of domestic abuse but rarely from those who have been the perpetrators. John, who's just completed a 20 week domestic violence prevention programme at the Hampton Trust, speaks out to encourage other men to seek help. He's joined by Vicky Gilroy who's a facilitator on the prevention programmes at the Hampton Trust .In today’s online digital world everything we do now on our phones or our computers—everything we look at, click on or say online, becomes “data”. Companies and governments increasingly share and use this information. A small UK based team of experts called Foxglove is challenging how our data’s used . Cori Crider a Director at Foxglove talks about how amongst other things the group successfully challenged the A Level grading algorithm last year,Plus as we mark Refugee Week Hella Pick joins us to talk about life as a Kindertransport survivor. She went on to carve out a hugely successful career in journalism. In her 35 year career she's reported on everything from the assass

Paloma Faith on combining motherhood with her music as well as her reaction to the OFSTED survey that sexual harassment of schoolchildren has become normalised in schools. Her new single Monster is about her relationship with her career.What's the best way to stamp out sexual harassment in the workplace? We discuss with Stella Chandler, Director of Development at Focal Point Training which runs in person workplace behavioural courses that includes sexual harassment, and Deeba Syed, a lawyer who set up and manages the sexual harassment at work advice line at Rights of Women. The new figurehead known as Nannie is now being installed on the famous ship, the Cutty Sark: the tea clipper that resides in a specially designed dry dock in Greenwich next to the river Thames in London. Why is the figurehead of a ship often a woman? Louise Macfarlane is senior curator at the Cutty Sark.The Health Minister Nadine Dorries on the public call for evidence for England's first women's health strategy. The new no-fault divorc

The G7 kicks off in Cornwall today. Boris Johnson and leaders from Japan, Canada, Italy and France who make up the Group of Seven will be joined by US President Joe Biden and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel . On the agenda the biggest issues affecting our world - everything from climate change to the economic recovery post Covid. But how should they change their approach? How much better could things be if leaders, instead of lording their power over us and operating a top-down approach, did something different? In his new book 'The Power of Giving Away Power', Matthew Barzun argues that if leaders just let go and listened and worked more closely with their colleagues, we'd see things thrive and grow. Baroness Valerie Amos, now the Master of University College, Oxford joins him.As live music events draw closer and closer, we ask – how diverse is the music industry? And what can be done to make things more inclusive? We hear from one DJ Jaguar, about her own experiences and an initiative to train other

We talk to Paloma Faith about her music, her films, being a mother of two daughters, and harassment towards women and girls. She's got a new single out called Monster which is about her relationship with her career.We hear from two nurses who tell us how the past year and a half has been for them. In the light of a report published earlier this week by the Health Select Committee we discuss burn-out and how health staff are so tired because of the pandemic that many are quitting and morale is at an all time low.Dr Gwen Adshead is one of Britain’s leading forensic psychiatrists and has spent 30 years providing therapy in secure hospitals and prisons. She worked extensively with violent women. Her book, The Devil You Know, co-authored with Eileen Horne, is a collection of 11 stories about men and women who've committed acts of terrible violence. And we have bring you the breaking news that Maya Forstater has won her Appeal against an employment tribunal. Maya Forstater went to a tribunal in 2019 when her employ