Woman's Hour

We continue our series Family Secrets. Listener Melanie explains why she finally went to the police to reveal her family secret after 37 years.There's global attention on President Trump’s trip to India – a guest of Prime Minister Modi of the Hindu Nationalist BJP. This morning he'll be making a speech at a cricket stadium in Gujarrat. Meanwhile- hundreds of women are said to be on hunger strike in Uttar Pradesh in the north of the country, protesting about new Citizenship laws. Salman, Divya Arya, a Women’s Affairs journalist at the BBC in India, gives us the background to the protests which have been going on for some time.Plus Majella works in the local chip shop in a small town in Northern Ireland with her alcohol-dependent mother. She’s the subject of Michelle Gallen’s first novel ‘Big Girl, Small Town’ . She talks to Jane about the inspiration behind it.Presented Jane Garvey Producer Beverley PurcellGuest; Michelle Gallen

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, famous for Fleabag and Killing Eve, is on the programme.We hear why the fear of being sick or hearing others be sick affects more women than men. It's called emetophobia and someone who suffers from it explains what it's like. Professor David Veale, a consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital, joins us too. Islamic faith marriages aren’t valid under English law according to a recent Court of Appeal ruling. Now campaigners are worried that thousands of Muslim women have no rights if they divorce. We hear from Somiya who had to persuade her husband to marry her officially and Pragna Patel from Southall Black Sisters. An all-female team of investigative journalists from the 50-50 team at Open Democracy carried out an investigation into crisis pregnancy centres in 18 countries. Nandini Archer, the assistant editor, tells what they found out. We cook the perfect winter salad of red leaves, mackeral and orange with the food writer Catherine Phipps.And Tilda Offen, Harriet Adams and Ell

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the award-winning writer and creator of Fleabag, tells Jenni Murray about all things Fleabag: from celibacy, religion and sexual fluidity to the relationship between feminism and breast size, and of course the ‘Hot Priest’. Plus insight into the characters from Killing Eve, behind the scenes working on the new Bond film and how friends can be the greatest love story of your life. After the first season of Fleabag aired on the BBC in 2016, Phoebe brought us more complex and unpredictable female characters with her hit TV drama Killing Eve. In 2019 the second series of Fleabag won her critical acclaim in the US as well as the UK, including a handful of Emmys and a multi-million pound producing deal, and now a book Fleabag: The Scriptures. So how has she handled such an extraordinary run of success? And what difference has her work made to the way we see women on TV?Presenter: Jenni Murray Producer: Helen Fitzhenry Interviewed guest: Phoebe Waller-Bridge

The trouser suit: powerful in its own right or just a copy-cat of a man's? The fashion historian, Lydia Edwards, has a new book out called How to Read a Suit. She discusses when they became fashionable for women and if we'll still be wearing them in the future.We talk to Cherry Vann, the new Bishop of Monmouth. She's the first openly gay woman bishop in the UK, as well as the first bishop - male or female - to be in a civil partnership. She officially became bishop this month but just beforehand, and quite unconnected to her appointment, the Church of England issued a statement suggesting sex belongs only in heterosexual marriage. So how did that affect her and what message does she think it sends to Anglican LGBT members. Winter salad and a Pear and Rosemary Upside Down cake is on the menu in our latest Cook The Perfect ... And we've got Part Two of real life family secrets. Who are Sarah's birth parents?

Sue Black, Women’s Equality Party candidate, joins Jenni to discuss why she has stepped down from the London mayoral race because of complications with her vaginal mesh implant.Flood warnings have been issued across the UK from Doncaster to Wales and more flooding is expected. Hundreds of properties have been affected and families evacuated. How are people on the ground coping? And what are communities doing to help each other? We hear from two women in Wales - Vicki Plumber Leclerc, who’s had to evacuate her home in Aberdulais with her two young kids and Tina Rankin who is running the emergency effort at her local church in PontypriddFamily Secrets - In most families there are things which don’t get talked about and the silences are often rooted in shame and in fear. In a new series of Family Secrets Sarah tells her story. She contacted Woman’s Hour because she wanted to talk about a family secret that she has only recently discovered at the age of 44.And an all-female team of investigative journalists from

Does your fear of vomiting make parenting a challenge? Emetophobia, a fear of vomiting, is a relatively common but under-researched psychological disorder that mostly affects women. We speak with Lucy Burton, who’s been coping with emetophobia for most of her life, and is the mother of two young children. And Professor David Veale, a consultant psychiatrist at Maudsley hospital, which has a specialist centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma.

Daisy May Cooper is one half of the sibling duo behind award winning BBC Three comedy This Country which returned for its third and final season on Monday. Daisy plays Kerry Mucklowe alongside her brother Charlie as ‘Kurtan’, two twenty-something cousins who are stuck in their tiny Cotswold village. Their lives revolve around local scarecrow competitions, terrorising neighbours and football training with the friendly local vicar. Daisy joins Jane to discuss the new series, accepting a BAFTA wearing a bin bag and dealing with the real life death of character and friend Sluggs.Do you fear being sick? Do you fear seeing or hearing others vomit? Do you take significant steps to minimize the risk of catching a sickness bug, which have interfered with your daily life? If you’ve answered yes to most of these questions, then you might be emetophobic. Emetophobia - a fear of vomiting - is a relatively common but under-researched psychological disorder that mostly affects women. Lucy Burton is one such woman and has be

A new ballet 'The Cellist' opens tonight at the Royal Opera House in London. It’s inspired by the life and work of the British cellist, Jacqueline du Pré. It portrays the highs and lows of the virtuoso’s life after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, aged 28. Its choreographer, Cathy Marston, talks to Jane Garvey about why it was such a personal project for her.Journalist and novelist, Joan Smith discusses the death of Caroline Flack, the CPS decision to prosecute her, and what impact have the findings of the Levenson inquiry really had?If you’re someone who follows the various targets on climate change, then the year 2050 is surely on your radar. It’s the very latest date scientists agree the world needs to be carbon neutral by in order to avoid life-changing and irreversible damage to the planet. A mere 30 years away – a lot of radical change needs to happen in the next TEN years to make that 2050 target feasible. Christiana Figueres has co-authored a book called ‘The Future We Choose’. It details

Emma is one of the most adapted books by Jane Austen. It returns to the big screen this week. We hear from the director Autumn De Wilde and Anya Taylor-Joy who plays Emma.Yvette Cooper the Labour MP talks about the increasing number of violent threats being made to her and other MP’s. She tells us why she wants political parties to draw up a new joint code of conduct against intimidation.Anna Whitehouse and Matt Farquharson the duo behind the comedy podcast Dirty Mother Pukka discuss the trials, tribulations and rewards of relationships and family life.Two casting directors, who have just won awards from the Casting Directors Guild for their work; Lauren Evans, for the first series of Sex Education and Isabella Odoffin, for Small Island on stage last year at the National Theatre in London. Why has the role of casting been so undervalued?We discuss the impact of loneliness with Baroness Diana Barran the Minister for Lonelines, Bethan Harris creator of the Loneliness Lab, Professor of Pyschology at the Univers

Is chivalry dead? What is chivalry these days? Is it picking up the bill and opening a door? Is it just up to men or should women be chivalrous too? Podcaster and writer Tolly Shoneye talks about it with Amanda who's dating now. “To say that humans have overthought sex is something of an understatement.” That's according to Dr Kate Lister, a university lecturer who set up the Whore of Yore project in 2015. It tried to start a conversation about the history of sex. Her latest book is called A Curious History of Sex and in it she explores the strange and baffling things human beings have done over the centuries in pursuit and denial of sex.Sexual violence in literature: do we need to find the right language to talk about it properly? And how can reading classic novels like Samuel Richardson’s 18th century, ‘Pamela’, help us understand issues of consent better? Professor Rebecca Bullard and crime writer, Val McDermid join me to discuss.Were you a teenager in the 90s? Went to raves and house parties? We've been

This is the first year Bafta has included a casting category, but still none exists within the Oscars. Jenni speaks to two casting directors, who have just won awards from the Casting Directors Guild for their work: Lauren Evans, for the first series of Sex Education and Isabella Odoffin, for Small Island on stage last year at the National Theatre in London. Why has the role of casting been so undervalued?Shohreh Bayat is a chess adjudicator. Last month she was working in Shanghai and photos were circulated of her appearing not to have a headscarf on. For an Iranian woman, even though you’re outside of the country, it’s still mandatory to wear a headscarf. She says she was wearing one, but it was hard to see in the photo. She updates us on her situation.The Equal Pay Act (1970) was successfully steered by through parliament by Barbara Castle and became the first piece of UK legislation to enshrine the right to pay equality between women and men. Jenni discusses how it happened and why the aim of paying men an

Emma is one of Jane Austen’s most adapted books. It returns to the big screen this Friday. The new film is directed by Autumn De Wilde and stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role. Why's the story still so relevant today? After a recent discussion on ‘period power’ and the importance of getting to know your own menstrual cycle, listener Dearbhla McKeating got in touch. She doesn't have a monthly bleed and wanted to discuss the impact it has n your life. She joins Jenni alongside Consultant gynaecologist Pradnya Pisa. The Museum of Youth Culture is currently touring their exhibition “Grown Up in Britain”, which showcases artefacts from teenager culture throughout the decades. To celebrate we’ve been hearing from you about what it was like to be a teenager from the '60s to the present day. Today we hear from Teresa, who was a punk in the 1970s. Plus Yvette Cooper on why she's called for political parties to “draw up a new joint code of conduct against intimidation“, to make clear that “violent threats

Last week we discussed the shortages of menopause treatment drug HRT, which began in late 2018. This week, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have said they are ‘very concerned’ about women buying HRT products from unregulated online sites. Some sites were found to be selling products at four times the NHS price. Dr Sarah Jarvis, clinical director of patientacess.com, offers advice to HRT users in light of the shortages. Anna Whitehouse and Matt Farquharson are the duo behind the comedy podcast, Dirty Mother Pukka They have a new book out, Where’s My Happy Ending? where they discuss the trials, tribulations & rewards of relationships and family life. A new report published by the charity Women for Refugee Women claims that women who have fled rape and other sexual violence in their country of origin are being made vulnerable to further abuse in the UK because of government policy which makes them destitute. The report contains the stories of over 100 asylum seeking women. We hear fr

Everyone will know someone who has been lonely. The vast majority of us will feel this way at some point in our lives. More and more of us are happy to speak out about depression but why is there still such stigma associated to talking about loneliness? Does it make us too vulnerable? We often hear about the old being lonely – but what about the young and middle aged? It isn’t considered a mental health condition but should it be? What impact does it actually have on our wellbeing? And what can we, as individuals, civil society and government actually do to tackle it? Jane speaks to Baroness Diana Barran, Minister for Loneliness, Professor Pamela Qualter, Prof of psychology for education, Uni of Manchester, Bethan Harris, Creator of Loneliness Lab & Director of Collectively and Kim Leadbetter, ambassador for the Jo Cox Foundation and Jo Cox’s sister.Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Dianne Mcgregor and Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Baroness Diana Barran Interviewed Guest: Professor Pamela Qualter Inter

We speak to Hannah Pearson who feels she's not getting the support she needs with her anorexia and bulimia. She’s been told she has to wait 18 months for an assessment because currently she's described as a "healthy weight". After Hannah, Dr Agnes Ayton, chair of the Eating Disorder Facility of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, describes some of the challenges when trying to get medical help.Catherine Spencer was captain of the England women’s rugby team from 2007 to 2010. She's now retired but has written a book called Mud, Maul, Mascara. Does she regret leaving the sport? Also on the programme is Danielle Thomas, who’s 32. Her mother is in the late stages of Huntingdon's Disease. Danielle has recently found out that she has the gene too, so what are her plans for the future? We talk about employing a cleaner and being a cleaner. And we find out what it means to be a narcissist, particularly in a relationship.

Frankie Bridge is best known as one fifth of 'The Saturdays' and outside of music has established herself as a TV presenter & digital influencer. She became a Mind ambassador after opening up about her experiences of anxiety, depression and panic attacks, after her hospitalisation in May 2012. Having initially dealt with these issues in silence, she now sees that asking for help can save your life. She talks to Jane about her new book OPEN which features practical guidance and advice from the psychologist and psychiatrist who helped her.Fifty years on from the first Women’s Liberation Conference in 1970, Women's Place UK organised one last weekend. 900 women gathered to discuss ending violence against women and sex discrimination and to defend women only spaces and single sex services. We hear from some of the women who were there and Professor Sophie Scott and journalist, Helen Joyce discuss what they hope the event will achieve. And, Janice Okoh‘s new play ‘The Gift’ is directed by Dawn Walton and

In January, midwives at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary complained that expectant dads were treating maternity wards ‘like a hotel’. Issues ranged from dads sharing beds with new mums, ordering takeaway food and making other new mothers embarrassed about breastfeeding. But as NHS policy states that maternity services should be ‘mother-focussed and family-centred’, should more be being done to welcome fathers onto wards? Jenni speaks to Dr Jeremy Davies from the Fatherhood Institute, NHS midwife Leah Hazard, and Cathy Nolan, who gave birth to her son last May.

Last month, midwives at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary complained that expectant dads were treating maternity wards ‘like a hotel’. Issues ranged from dads sharing beds with new mums, ordering takeaway food and making other new mothers embarrassed about breastfeeding. But as NHS policy states that maternity services should be ‘mother-focussed and family-centred’, should more be being done to welcome fathers onto wards? The UK government is chartering a final flight to bring British nationals back from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. In China alone, there are now more than 24,300 cases of the virus, with the death toll at nearly 500. Dr Clare Wenham Assistant Professor in Global Health at the LSE tells us why she believes that the response to health emergencies should not be gender neutral. We asked you to share your experiences of being part of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Today a listener tells us about fighting for the right to sterilisation when her husband withheld his

Right now, there are thousands of people working hard in other people’s homes to keep them running smoothly. But what’s it like working in domestic service in modern Britain? Juliet Adame and Dawn Nickless talk about their experiences of the relationship between employer and employed, and the extent to which class still plays a role in people’s attitudes towards domestic workers. Jenni also speaks to Dr Lucy Delap from the University of Cambridge about how much the life of a cleaner, nanny and gardener has changed – or not – in the past 100 years, and why so many women feel mortally embarrassed about being the boss. Women’s rugby is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world and 29% of all rugby players are women. Since it was announced as an Olympic sport in 2009, the number of participants has grown globally from 200,000 to over 2.6 million. As preparations are underway for this year’s Women’s Six Nations Catherine Spencer the former Captain of the England talks to Jenni about her memoir Mud, Maul, Mas

We speak to Hannah Pearson who's 25 and has anorexia and bulimia. She recently asked for help from a specialist NHS eating disorder service close to where she lives but because she isn’t considered underweight enough she’s been told she has to wait 18 months. We hear from Hannah as well as Agnes Ayton from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Last night, Americans living in Iowa had their say on who they think is the best Democrat candidate to beat Donald Trump. Women candidates include Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. We speak to Dr Anne-Marie Angelo, originally from Virginia, who’s now Senior Lecturer in American History at Sussex University in Brighton. There was a time when domestic service was the single biggest employer of women in the UK but many of their stories have been forgotten. Author and historian Annie Gray is putting things right with her new book, Victory in the Kitchen. It tells the story of Georgina Landemare’s journey from scullery maid to the much-admired cook of the Churchill famil