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Dame Elizabeth Anionwu; Jennifer Saunders; Former Afghan women's minister; Pretty privilege; Choosing to be child free Sep 18, 2021

Show notes

Britain’s first sickle cell and thalassemia nurse specialist, Prof Dame Elizabeth Anionwu revolutionised treatment of the disease. She then established the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice, to address racial inequalities in the profession. She discusses her early life in a children's home, her hugely successful career, and being honour by the singer Dua Lipa. Her memoir is called ‘Dreams From My Mother.'

The Taliban announced that all women must wear the hijab and will be segregated in universities. We hear from Afghanistan's former Minister for Women's Affairs, Hasina Safi, who is now in the UK having escaped under cover in the final days of the evacuation.

Two listeners Rowan and Destiny, explain, why for the sake of the planet, they are saying no to having children now.

Pretty Privilege - what is it and should it be used? The model Marike Wessels, and Caterina Gentili from the Centre for Appearance Research discuss.

Comedian, actor, writer, Jennifer Saunders talks facial hair, menopause, and playing the medium Madame Arcati in a threatre production of Noel Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

Pretty Privilege, Baby Deaths Report, Thea Gilmore, Victory for rubbish stink woman Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

Are you familiar with the phrase ‘pretty privilege’? A new trend on Tik Tok is seeing young women sharing stories about when they first realised good looks can get you far in life. From relationships, to work, and even within the legal system – the association between beauty and talent, social success and health is a real thing. Anita Rani talks about the issue with model Marike Wessels, and Caterina Gentili from the Centre for Appearance Research.

A new report investigating the serious harm or death of babies is calling for midwives, health visitors and social workers to provide more support to fathers. The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has looked at the lives of 23 babies who were known or suspected to have been seriously harmed or killed by their father, step-father or male carer, with the aim to understand what led the perpetrators to do it, and what could be done to prevent similar incidents. Panel member Mark Gurrey and working NHS midwife in Scotland, Leah Hazard discuss the issues.

Rebecca Currie has won a High Court battle to limit the stench coming from a landfill site near her home which she says was damaging her son’s health. We hear about her campaign and her reaction to the victory

And there’ll be music from Thea Gilmore who talks about her new album Afterlight

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Engineer: Duncan Hannant

Dame Elizabeth Anionwu; Alison Goldsworthy; Linda Edwards; Ministerial reshuffle Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

With a career spanning five decades, Britain’s first sickle cell and thalassemia nurse specialist, Prof Dame Elizabeth Anionwu revolutionised treatment of the disease. As an academic, she became a professor and dean of the nursing school at the University of West London, then established the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice, to address racial inequalities in the profession. When she retired she campaigned for a statue in honour of the pioneering Jamaican nurse, Mary Seacole. She speaks to Emma about her memoir ‘Dreams From My Mother’ - a story of childhood, race, identity, family, hope and overcoming her upbringing which was marked by racism and abuse.

Alison Goldsworthy was deputy chair of the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive while the party was in coalition government. Active in politics for a long time, she left the party in 2014. In 2013, she and others made public sexual harassment allegations against a senior colleague, allegations he has always strongly denied. Alison's book Poles Apart has just been published – she joins Emma to talk about what she learnt from that experience.

Nobody likes paying parking fines, but would you go through a 5 year battle to beat one? Linda Edwards from Greater Manchester did just that - all over a £1 parking ticket she couldn’t pay because the machine was broken. She joins Emma to explain why she stuck with it.

Yesterday's reshuffle worked out pretty well for women in the Conservative party. Priti Patel stays in post, Liz Truss has been promoted to Foreign Secretary while retaining her Women and Equalities brief, and Nadine Dorries has been promoted to Culture Secretary. Women now occupy half of the great offices of state for the second time - the first being when Theresa May made Amber Rudd Home Secretary in 2016. But does any of that actually matter? Emma is joined to discuss by Sebastian Payne, author of Broken Heartlands: A Journey Through Labour’s Lost England and Whitehall editor for the Financial Times, and Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor at the Telegraph.

Amy Hart, Covid Limbo, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Amy Hart, who was on Love Island two years ago was in front of politicians yesterday describing the problems she's had on social media. Appearing in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee she explained that she's been trolled by nurses, and she found out that a 13 year old boy had sent her death threats. We tells us how she copes.

Professor Devi Sridhar from The University of Edinburgh talks to us about the Government's Plan A, Plan B and Plan C for covid as we go into autumn.

We hear from two Woman's Hour listeners about why, at the moment, they've decided not to have children. Some of their reasoning is to do with over-population and global resources. According to data from the Office of National Statistics, 50% of women will not have had a child by the time they reach 30, with 20% not having children at all. Emma speaks to Destiny and Rowan about their reasons for being child-free.

As Britain gears up to host COP26, the global climate change summit, we talk to the Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP. We ask her if the UK’s really leading by example with its environmental policies and if we can meets our target of net zero emissions by 2050. How will we get there? Will we really be able to phase out domestic boilers? And will the move towards electric cars and the introduction of new hydrogen energy be enough to make the difference? We also ask her about covid and mask wearing.

And what's Dopamine Dressing? Well, it's the idea that wearing bright colours, bold prints or your favourite dress can boost your mood and make you feel happier. Dr Caroyln Mair, a behavioural psychologist specialising in fashion, tells us more.

Women rowers in Venice; Former Afghan women's minister; Julia Peyton-Jones; Non-disclosure agreements Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

It's the first year in which women and men are awarded equal prize money in Venice's annual rowing race, the Regata Storica. Emma speaks to lead campaigner and professional rower, Elena Almansi.

This week the Taliban announced that all women must wear hijab and will be segregated in universities. Emma is joined by the former Minister for Women's Affairs, Hasina Safi, who is now with her family in a hotel in the UK having escaped under cover in the final days of the evacuation. Emma also speaks to Carolyn Webster, who stood as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in the last general election and is now an independent councillor in Bridgend in Wales. She has been organising collections for Afghans stuck in British hotels after quarantined and is concerned about their conditions.

For 25 years Julia Peyton-Jones was director at the Serpentine Gallery in London. Under her tenure the number of visitors to the gallery in an old tea pavilion in Hyde Park rose from 200,000 to more than one million. Announcing her departure in 2016, she said she wanted to spend more time painting. 'I will be starting all over again,' she said at the time. 'I am 64. My goal is to live to 100 and remain in really good shape.' Less than a year later, she became a mother, returning from California with a baby daughter. The press covered the story extensively but Julia chose not to give any interviews. Now she has brought out a book called Pia's World consisting of drawings she did every night in 2020, of her and her daughter's day. In this first broadcast interview, Julia joins Emma in the studio.

A campaign to outlaw the misuse of NDAs, non-disclosure agreements, in jurisdictions around the world is launched today. Campaigners say too many of these agreements enable powerful individuals and businesses to cover up sexual harassment, racism and other wrong doing. Joining Emma are the two women fronting the campaign - Zelda Perkins, the first woman to break an NDA with Harvey Weinstein, and Canadian law professor and author Dr Julie MacFarlane. We also hear from Emma Bartlett, employment law specialist at C M Murray.

Jennifer Saunders, Fashion editor Justine Picardie on the real "Miss Dior" Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

From Ab Fab to Jam & Jerusalem, Jennifer Saunders has been gracing our TV screens for decades. She now returns to theatre as eccentric mystic Madame Arcati in a production of Noel Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit. She discusses what attracted her to the role and reflects on her wide ranging comedy career.

When a cancer nurse Aimee Winfield posted on social media about how much she was looking forward to a break, it provoked a flurry of abusive messages. She talks to Emma about the impact it's had on her and why she worries about how this behaviour might affect other colleagues.

We hear about Catherine Dior, sister of fashion legend Christian Dior, was a French Resistance fighter during the Second World War and was the inspiration for the Miss Dior fragrance. She was also central to his decision to set up his own fashion house in the aftermath of the war which launched what known as the “New Look” – which created an undeniably feminine silhouette . Her story has received little attention, until now, with the publication of a new book: “Miss Dior – A story of courage and Couture” by the fashion editor Justine Picardie. She joins Emma Barnett to discuss Catherine’s life and her catalytic role in the history of one of the world’s greatest fashion houses.

Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell

Weekend Woman's Hour: Michaela Coel, Rafia Zakaria & Japanese ‘Womeneconomics’ Sep 11, 2021

Show notes

We hear from the Screenwriter, director, producer and actor Michaela Coel about her first book ‘Misfits: A Personal Manifesto’. The book draws on topics covered in her MacTaggart lecture in which she spoke about dealing with trauma and the ways in which young creatives are exploited by the television industry.

Sarah Gilbert the scientist who led the team that developed the Oxford Vaccine tells us why she doesn’t think we all need booster covid jabs this winter and tells us about being named the 49th winner of the “Bold Woman” award which honours inspirational women with a track record of success.

The Pakistani author Rafia Zakaria discusses her new book, Against White Feminism. She explains why she sees the issue of race as the biggest obstacle to true solidarity among women.

We discuss Japan’s Womenomics. A concept designed to get more women working and in positions of power. Women in Japan are less likely to be hired as full-time employees and on average earn almost 44 percent less than men. We hear from Cynthia Usui who coaches unemployed housewives in Japan and helps place them within the hospitality industry and Kathy Matsui who coined the term Womenomics in 1999 while working at investment bank Goldman Sachs.

And the comedian Sophie Willan who won a BAFTA for best comedy writing, for the pilot episode of her BBC 2 comedy Alma’s Not Normal. She's now got a 6 part series starting on Monday night. Drawn from her own experiences, she plays the central character Alma who grew up in an out of the care system in Bolton.

Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Beverley Purcell

Comedian Sophie Willan, Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Emma Raducanu, the Unofficial Bridgerton the Musical Afghanistan update Sep 10, 2021

Show notes

In May this this year, the comedian Sophie Willan won a BAFTA for best comedy writing, for the pilot episode of her BBC 2 comedy Alma’s Not Normal. She now has a six part series on BBC2 which begins on Monday night. Drawn from her own experiences, she plays the central character Alma who grew up in an out of the care system in Bolton. We find her eternally optimistic with no job or qualifications trying to get her life on track and follow her dreams.

British teenager Emma Raducanu has reached the US Open final She is the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final and will play another teenager Leylah Fernandez on Saturday. Chloe discusses her achievement with Rebecca Rodgers who was Emma's teacher at primary school, and Anna Kessel, the Women's Sports Editor at the Telegraph. Sarah Gilbert the scientist who led the team that developed the Oxford Vaccine joins us to talk about her latest award. In recognition of her achievements she’s been made a dame, had a barbie made in her likeness, won GQs “Heroes of the Year” award and last night was named as the 49th winner of the “Bold Woman” award which honours inspirational women with a track record of success. Sarah talks to Chloe Tilley about the ups and downs of the vaccine journey over the last 18 months and booster vaccines.

Bridgerton, the smash hit Netflix tv show was binge-watched by millions over Christmas in 2020 - in fact Netflix estimates that by January of 2021, more than 80 million households had watched it. Two young songwriters were so captivated by the series that they decided to write an unofficial Bridgerton musical - over TikTok. 22-year-old singer-songwriter Abigail Barlow and 20-year-old composer and pianist Emily Bear have now composed an entire concept album - The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical - based on the songs they featured in their TikTok videos. The Taliban in Afghanistan unveiled their interim government earlier this week with an all-male cabinet, including an interior minister who is on the FBI’s most wanted list. This came weeks after saying they would welcome women in government positions. And on social media, footage appeared showing women protesting those announcements being whipped by a Taliban fighter. Since then the Taliban’s new interior ministry have issued their first decree, banning any protests that do not have official approval. Another senior Taliban official has said that Afghan women will be banned from playing sport. BBC Pashtu Correspondent Sana Safi gives an update.

Presented by Chloe Tilley Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

Coughing; Rafia Zakaria; Rosie Jones; Population and climate; Cressida Dick Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Thanks to Covid, coughing in public has joined the ranks of socially-unacceptable behaviours. Anecdotally there seems to have been a decline in coughing in theatre audiences since Covid came on the scene. This suggests that loud, irritating throat clearances may not have been necessary physical responses to obstructions after all. Emma talks to Dr Kim Dienes from Swansea University about the social side of coughing and tips for suppressing that irritating tickle.

Pakistani-American author Rafia Zakaria has written a new book called Against White Feminism. A critique of 'whiteness within feminism' she says feminism has become a brand, not a movement. She wants to 'take it back.' Working on behalf of domestic violence victims as a lawyer and human rights activist for years, she says race is the biggest obstacle to true solidarity among women. Rafia joins Emma to discuss.

It is understood that the first female Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, has been offered two more years in the role. Both the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, are said to support plans for her to continue to lead London’s police force. But seven influential people who say they have been subjected to Met Police corruption and incompetence have signed an open letter in the Daily Mail today calling for her removal. Among the signatories were Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Lady Brittan and the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor, whose home was raided in March 2015 by Operation Midland detectives, in response to false allegations of historic child abuse made by Carl Beech - who is now in prison for 18 years for perverting the course of justice and fraud. Emma asks Harvey why he wants Cressida Dick's resignation.

There are 7.9 billion people living on the planet. But why is human population discussed so little when it comes to the climate crisis? That's a question listeners Sue and Martin want answers to, and that Tim Dyson, Emeritus Professor of Population Studies at the London School of Economics is going to help untangle. He talks to Emma about the facts behind global population growth, the trends in family size, and why having fewer children isn't going to help alleviate the immediate pressures of the climate crisis.

Edie Eckhart is 11 years old, from Bridlington in Yorkshire and has cerebral palsy. Like a lot of other 11 year olds this September, she’s starting at secondary school. Edie is the main character in a new children’s book, ‘The Amazing Edie Eckhart’ written by comedian Rosie Jones, who tells Emma why she wanted to create a young disabled heroine.

Jennifer Hudson on Aretha Franklin; Julie Bindel; Social Care; and Soviet Women in WWII. Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

RESPECT, is the new Aretha Franklin biopic which will be released this Friday. Aretha Franklin handpicked the Oscar Award winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson to play her in the film. Jennifer talks to us about her relationship with Aretha, their parallel life stories, their grounding in gospel music and the guiding force of the women in their lives.

The government has announced plans to reform the way social care is funded in England. National Insurance contributions from your wage packet will increase. But it also means that some older people who need to go into a nursing home won't have to sell their own home. Boris Johnson said the tax increase would raise £36 billion for frontline services in the next three years and be the "biggest catch-up programme in the NHS' history". But he also accepted it broke a manifesto pledge. Camilla Cavendish, former Director of Policy for Prime Minister David Cameron, joins Emma. Last year she was asked by Downing Street to write a report on the future of health and social care reform.

Julie Bindel has been a radical feminist for over four decades, joining the women’s movement as a working class lesbian teenager from the North East. She has campaigned and written many books about male violence, pornography, and the global sex trade. She is also co-founder of the law reform group Justice for Women, helping women who have been prosecuted for assaulting or killing violent male partners, including Sally Challen who with their support won her appeal against her murder conviction in 2019. Julie is no stranger to controversy. Her beliefs that there is a clash between women’s rights and trans rights, and that sex work is not work, have led to her being un-invited from speaking at several universities, and to frequent protests at events where she does speak. For her new book Feminism for Women: The Real Route to Liberation, Julie interviewed 50 young women, she says in an attempt to build a bridge between them and the so-called Second Wave feminists of her generation, which she thinks is urgently needed to tackle a misogynist backlash.

Elizabeth Lishmund is the creator of a new upcoming film - 'Fighting Girlfriend' - which tells the true story of Mariya Oktyabrsykaya - a Tank Commander in the Red Army during World War 2. 900,000 Russian women fought on the front line for the Soviet Union. Why do we know so little about women's active roles during WW2? And do stereotypes around Russian women make an impact? Elizabeth and journalist Viv Groskop join us to discuss.

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