Woman's Hour

Some reports suggest the government won’t now go ahead with the reform of the Gender Recognition Act. If true, this means that people won’t be able to self-declare their gender. What will this mean for the wider debate? Jane speaks to Helen Belcher, co-founder of Trans Media Watch and chair of the national LGBT charity Consortium, and Joan Smith, Chair of the Mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls Board and author of ‘Home Grown: How Domestic Violence Turns Men Into Terrorists’.Susie Dent is a lexicographer, etymologist and linguist. She has appeared in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's 'Countdown' since 1992, and can also be seen on 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown, or ‘Catsdown’ as she calls it. She can also be heard alongside Gyles Brandreth on the award-nominated podcast Something Rhymes With Purple. She joins Jane to talk about how her love of words began with shampoo bottles, her research into modern tribes, 90s rap music lyrics and the meaning of cacoethes.For the past month Woman's Hour has

As two black British women writers – Bernadine Evaristo and Reni Eddo-Lodge - top the UK fiction and non-fiction book charts for the first time, Jane asks bestselling author of Queenie, Candice Carty-Williams and Sharmaine Lovegrove founder of Dialogue Books, what publishing houses should be doing to make the trend last. The hashtag #publishingpaidme has shown that in many cases globally black women were paid smaller advances than their white counterparts – could we now see a step-change in the way the publishing industry treats black writers and readers?Iranian film maker Mina Keshavarz on her new documentary The Art of Living in Danger – which follows female lawyers in Iran campaigning to make domestic violence illegal. Mina also talks about her grandmother who’d taken her own life after suffering domestic abuse – and how she inspired the film. In the latest instalment of our series Troupers we speak to Calina Toqir, a well-known figure in Glasgow’s Roma community, brought to our attention by the Govanhill

The scientist Marie Skłodowska Curie is recognised throughout the world but how much do you really know about her and her ground breaking Nobel prize winning discoveries? The Oscar nominated star of Gone Girl on playing the Nobel prize winning scientist in the film Radioactive.The debt advice charity, Step Change, warned that British households are expected to rack up debts worth a combined £6bn because of the health emergency as they fell behind with their bills. And it looks like this will disproportionately impact on women. Jude Kelly, Founder of the Women of the World Festival who is involved in the Insuring Women’s Futures programme, Zubaida Haque, Interim Director of the Runnymede Trust and a member of the Independent Sage and a commissioner for the Women’s Budget Group and Amy Cashman, CEO of Kantar’s Insights Division discuss. Protests are expected this weekend across the UK. What do you do if your child wants to go? We hear from Monique Bouffé who is a member of the Black Protest Legal UK Support t

Candice Brathwaite set up the group called Make Motherhood Diverse in order to set right a wrong. When pregnant, she didn't recognise anything in books and online that she could relate to. So she set up the group to reflect a broader spectrum of motherhood. She tells us about her debut book I Am Not Your Baby Mother, a guide to life as a Black British mum.Protests are expected this weekend across the UK. So what do you do if your child wants to go? What conversations should parents be having beforehand? What do children need to know about their rights and safety? We hear from Monique Bouffé who's a member of the Black Protest Legal UK Support team as well as Talja Parkinson who has three sons: her oldest, who's 16, has been protesting with his friends. The link between misogyny and domestic violence will be discussed by MPs next week as part of their line-by-line examination of the Domestic Abuse Bill. Some people want misogyny to be classed as a hate crime. Will it happen?Photo credit: Zoe Timmers

A picture is slowly emerging of what has happened to women’s personal finances since the Covid 19 pandemic began. The debt advice charity, Step Change, warned that British households are expected to rack up debts worth a combined £6bn because of the health emergency as they fell behind with their bills. And it looks like this will disproportionately impact on women. Jenni talks to Jude Kelly, Founder of the Women of the World Festival who is involved in the Insuring Women’s Futures programme, Zubaida Haque, Interim Director of the Runnymede Trust and a member of the Independent Sage and a commissioner for the Women’s Budget Group and Amy Cashman, CEO of Kantar’s Insights Division.The historian Bettany Hughes tells Jenni about her new series A Greek Odyssey where she retraces the steps of Odysseus from the coast of Turkey where the mythical Trojan War took place to the island of Ithaca in the West of Greece. Sailing through the Greek islands, she makes new archaeological discoveries, visits iconic sites and u

Fear of becoming homeless is one of the factors that stops women leaving an abusive relationship. That’s according to the charity Women’s Aid which carried out research before covid, and collected evidence of women sofa-surfing, staying with friends or having difficulty getting a place in a refuge if they did leave. But now we're in lockdown have things got better or worse? In our latest Corona Diary we speak to ex-pat, Carol. She lives in Australia but was planning to move her whole family back to the UK. She wants to be closer to her elderly parents, but the complications of coronavirus have put a spanner in the works. Lockdown may be lifting at different rates around the UK, but for some people it still may be a long time before they see others from different households and what's more. touch them. Henrietta Harrison speaks to three women about missing touch, and how they're getting around it. Penny Wincer has written about caring. In her new book called Tender, she combines her own experiences as a car

We look at the first UK study into the physical, emotional and financial abuse of some grandparents who are looking after their grandchildren as part of kinship care arrangements. Jane talks to the author of the report Dr Amanda Holt, a Reader in Criminology at the University of Roehampton and to Lucy Peake, the CEO of the kinship care charity Grandparents Plus. The scientist Marie Curie is recognised throughout the world but how much do you really know about her and her ground breaking Nobel prize winning discoveries? The Oscar nominated star of Gone Girl and A Private War Rosamund Pike on playing the Nobel prize winning scientist Marie Curie in the film Radioactive.The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill currently before Parliament means that “no fault” divorce is set to finally become law. Under the proposed law, a spouse could start divorce proceedings by stating a marriage has broken down irretrievably, rather than allege adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion. Family lawyers have long call

Harriet Harman MP, raises concerns about the current treatment of mothers in prison during Covid-19 and the impact on their children and family life.. Fertility clinics were told last month that they could reopen as long as social distancing measures were in place. Being without access to fertility treatment has left thousands of couples – as well as single women – worried that they might run out of chances to conceive, and run out of time. Research has begun into the impact of clinic coronavirus delays on people’s lives, relationships and feelings. Public toilets have been a well-known victim of council cuts, leaving the UK with 50% fewer toilets than a decade ago. Coronavirus has caused even more closures – albeit temporarily. But where does that leave people who need urgent access to the loo? Monica Dolan is best known for her role as senior communications officer Tracey Pritchard in the BBC’s comedy W1A. We speak to her about her latest film ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’ about a mother and her relationsh

The US has been convulsed by nationwide protests over the death of an African-American man in police custody. George Floyd, 46, died after being arrested outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. But what are black parents here saying to their youngsters about some of the images coming from America and about the protests about racism in the UK? We hear from parents Teiko Dornor, Ama Ocansey and Iesha Small.We hear from Carol Cooper, a diversity lead within the NHS, about race issues in the nursing profession and the way that race is being responded to as a risk factor as the NHS tackles Covid-19. How are our attitudes towards dating changing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? Has it changed how people feel about meeting prospective partners in real life – now couples can meet for physically distanced dating? We hear from listeners Katie, Rachael and Gina and from Oloni a sex and relationship content creator and Zoe Strimpel the author of Seeking Love in Modern Britain.The physicist and oceanographer Dr He

Carol Cooper was awarded Nursing’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year award in 2019, she is a Regional NHS Head of equality, diversity and human rights and is the a Royal College of Nursing expert lead for BME Suicide Awareness, Equality, Diversity and Human Rights. She is also a Registered Nurse. She talks to Jenni Murray about race issues in the nursing profession and the way it's being responded to as a risk factor, as the NHS tackles Covid-19.More in our series celebrating the women who get things done – the Troupers. Today, Louise Kershaw, the treasurer of the Flixton Social Lites WI in Cheshire Plus ahead of World Oceans Day on Monday, the physicist, oceanographer and bubbles enthusiast, Dr Helen Czerski, talks about her time on board the Pelagia, a Dutch Oceanographic research vessel and her mission to perform a comprehensive health check on the North Sea.And as we celebrate Desert Island Discs Day on Radio 4, Danelle Pettman tells us about the track that’s made all the difference to her li

As we move to ease lockdown restrictions in this country, and look ahead to the “new normal”, there are a large number of people who are still very much in lockdown. Many people with medical conditions that make them “extremely clinically vulnerable” to COVID-19 are “shielding” for a minimum of 12 weeks. Shielding means staying in your home and not leaving for any reason, not even for exercise or to get food. How are disabled women finding this experience, and are they getting the support they need? Katie Pennick is a disability activist and journalist. She spoke to three other disabled women – Fi Anderson, Sarabajaya Kumar and Amy Kavanagh - to see how they have been affected. The next in our series celebrating the women who get things done – the Troupers. They are very bad at blowing their own trumpets so we are doing it for them. Mairi MacLean was born in the village of Morar in the Scottish Highlands. She has been campaigning for years to provide somewhere to play for the local children. Her friend Aliso

While the world has gone into lockdown and economies have crashed, one type of business has been seeing double-digit growth – direct selling. Independent consultants for big names such as Body Shop at Home, Forever Living, Avon, Usborne Books at Home and Arbonne have been reporting huge increases in sales and recruitment in response to regular shops closing their doors. But while proponents of ‘multi-level marketing’ or ‘direct to consumer’ selling say it provides an opportunity for women to earn money on their own terms, critics say that the business model sits precariously close to being a pyramid scheme. So what do women need to know? Jenni talks to Susannah Schofield, the DG of the Direct Selling Association; Hannah Martin of the Talented Ladies Club; and Clare from Hertfordshire, who talks about her experience of working in the industry.Meg Learmonth was just 18 when she was appointed drummer for the Stormzy collaborator Mura Masa. She describes how drumming was “love at first hit”, the tale behind her

The US has been convulsed by nationwide protests over the death of an African-American man in police custody. George Floyd, 46, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. But what are black parents here saying to their youngsters about some of the images coming from America, such as the arrest footage itself, then the violent demonstrations and the angry confrontations between protesters and the police? And how does what happens there relate to how things are here?Could Neanderthal genes be influencing the fertility of modern humans? New research shows that one in three women in Europe have inherited sections of Neanderthal DNA that make them have fewer bleedings during pregnancy, fewer miscarriages and give birth to more children. Dr Hugo Zeberg from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany explains what it might mean for future fertility research.How are attitudes towards dating changing as a result of the Covid-

More from our series that celebrates the women who get things done – the Troupers. They're very bad at blowing their own trumpets so we're doing it for them. Today we hear from Annie Taylor and Wendy Robinson the founders of the Profanity Embroidery Group in Whitstable.After building up credit card debt of £25,000 Clare Seal decided she had to do something drastic to deal with it. She set up an Instagram account to make herself accountable. Posting anonymously she shared her story and offered advice and solidarity to a growing community of people. She’s now written a book with tips and advice for others in a similar situation. It’s called Real Life Money: an honest guide to taking control of your finances Plus two midwives from Kent Kent midwives - Sally Sidhu and Jan Gatehouse - who've just an award for their work on promoting colostrum tell Jane all about the benefits of so called "liquid gold" especially for premature babies. And as some children in England return to school how do you deal with a chil

An editorial in the British Medical Journal reported that one in five harmful and dependent drinkers got the help they needed, and now the proportion will be lower. How do you cope with an alcohol problem under lockdown? We hear the experience of a listener, the journalist Catherine Renton who has been sober for over 3 years, and from Julia Sinclair, professor of Addiction Psychiatry, University of Southampton and consultant in alcohol addiction. She’s also chair of the Royal College of Psychiatry’s addiction faculty.It is fifty years since the Equal Pay Act became law. However, it’s proved tricky over the years for women to find out what their male comparators were earning. It’s also proved tricky for women without financial and legal support to use the law. However, cases have been brought over the years and as the law has been strengthened. Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC and Jane Hannon, Employment partner at the law firm DLA Piper discuss. The writer Michele Roberts discusses her memoir Neg

It’s fifty years since the Equal Pay Act became law, though employers were given a couple of years to prepare for the change to take effect. The legislation followed the strike of a group of women machinists at the Ford factory in Dagenham who wanted to be paid just as a man would for doing skilled work. It set out that an individual can claim equal pay for work of equal value. However, it’s proved tricky over the years for women to find out what their male comparators were earning. It’s also proved tricky for women without financial and legal support to use the law. However, cases have been brought over the years and as the law has been strengthened. Last year, Glasgow City Council agreed to pay out a reported £548 million in compensation to thousands of women who were paid less than men working in jobs on the same grade. Jane is joined by Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC and by Jane Hannon, Employment partner at the law firm DLA Piper Health visiting is one of those professions that most people

Last week an editorial in the BMJ reported that before Covid-19 only one in five harmful and dependent drinkers got the help they needed, and now the proportion will be lower. There is concern for those struggling with dependence and those on the brink of dependence. How do you cope with an alcohol problem under lockdown? And what support is out there? We hear the experience of a listener, the journalist Catherine Renton who has been sober for over 3 years and from Julia Sinclair, professor of Addiction Psychiatry, University of Southampton and consultant in alcohol addiction. She’s also chair of the Royal College of Psychiatry’s addiction faculty.Jenny Colgan's latest novel is called Five Hundred Miles From You. It's about a nurse in London and a nurse in the Scottish Highlands. It explores everything they've seen in their careers and whether or not they can help each other.Coronavirus has made visible a group of people who were often invisible – volunteers. Thousands of people signed up to help the NHS as a

The UK cleaning sector is worth almost £50bn a year to the country’s economy. It employs more than 900,000 people, mostly women. Right now, many are vulnerable. Some feel they won't be able to stop working if they fall ill or have to self- isolate because they can't afford it. Jenni speaks to Katy, a cleaner. Also Maria Gonzalez who's an employment barrister and Janet Macleod who's a Unite representative Cassa Pancho set up Ballet Black twenty years ago. It's a professional ballet company for Black and Asian dancers, and from the start its aim was to make the dance world more diverse. As well as Cassa, we also talk to Cira Robinson who performed with Stormzy at last year's Glastonbury. Tonight Ballet Black is part of a new BBC TV series called Danceworks.Jackie Kay, the National Poet for Scotland, also known as Makar, discusses her new online poetry and music festival. It's called Makar to Makar and streams via the National Theatre of Scotland's YouTube channel. We also hear from Gerda Stevenson who's a writ

TROOPERS is a new series of ours starting today. It's about the women in our communities who get things done, and many of them are volunteers. We begin with Margaret Johnson who works as a volunteer at Chester Storyhouse which is a cinema, theatre and library. She runs the Chatter and Natter group.We've got more on the Dominic Cummings situation and his trip to Durham. Katy Balls from the Spectator and Helen Lewis from the Atlantic discuss things said in last night's press conference which might have leapt out for women especially.Following on from yesterday's programme about having a baby during lockdown, today we talk about what postnatal support is there for you. We hear from Linzy Thurlaway who's a midwife, antenatal educator and also runs postnatal and baby massage courses. She founded a Facebook group called Antenatal and Postnatal Education and Support North East. The Sund

We hear from you about what it’s like to be pregnant, give birth and look after a new baby in the Covid-19 lockdown.Antenatal, labour and post-natal care has had to transform in the last two months, in order to combat the virus. Pregnant women are considered a vulnerable group to Covid and are recommended to self-isolate for their third trimester. Routine face-to-face appointments have been reduced and more is being done by phone. The way you give birth may have had to change, and partners can no longer stay on labour wards beyond the birth itself. And of course for new parents, family and friends haven’t been able to visit in person. What has all this meant for you? As well as the challenges, have there been any unexpected upsides? Jane is joined by midwife Leah Hazard and obstetrician Dr Kenga Sivarajah to hear your stories.Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Sarah Crawley Interviewed Guest: Leah Hazard Interviewed Guest: Dr Kenga Sivarajah Interviewed Guest: Ibukun Fisher Interviewed Guest: Elsa Rickett-True