Woman's Hour

The creator of Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell, whose column in the New York Observer was the inspiration behind the TV series, joins Anita in the studio. The real-life Carrie Bradshaw is bringing her one-woman show about creating the hit series to the West End and then doing a UK tour.After 20 years of silence, prize-winning author Lisa St Aubin de Terán is back with a new book. Aged 16, Lisa married a Venezuelan landowner-turned-bank robber; she eventually ran away from him with her young daughter only to end up trapped in a castle with the Scottish poet George MacBeth. From there she eloped to Italy and in 2004 she settled in north Mozambique, establishing the Teran Foundation to develop community tourism. She lived there until 2022 when a cyclone took the roof off her house, and returned to London with a bag full of manuscripts including her memoir, Better Broken than New. She joins Emma in studio.A new study says that an ideological gap has opened up between young men and women in countries on every continent. These increasingly different world views could have far-reaching consequences. One of the leading researchers in gender studies Dr Alice Evans, Senior Lecturer in the Social Science of Development at King’s College London tells Emma why Gen Z is two generations, not one. Emma also speaks to Professor Rosie Campbell, Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London.Emma talks to the TV presenter Kaye Adams about her 10-year battle with HMRC over their claim she owed almost £125,000 in unpaid taxes. Best known for her role on the Loose Women panel show, she also hosts the morning show on BBC Radio Scotland. She says the protracted legal case has left her feeling “utterly, utterly beat up and gaslit”, despite her vindication.From cute cat memes to plush toys, a new exhibition at Somerset House explores the power of cuteness in contemporary culture. But is buying into a cute aesthetic regressive or even sexist, or can cute be reclaimed as a form of protest? And how would you feel, as a grown woman, about being labelled 'cute' or 'adorable'? To discuss, Emma is joined by Dr Isabel Galleymore, a consultant on the Cute exhibition; and the journalist Vicky Spratt.Have you ever thought about where your name came from? Perhaps you were named after a favourite relative, a character in a movie or maybe your parents just liked the sound of it. Photographer Deirdre Brennan wanted to mark the 1500th anniversary of Saint Brigid, one of the patron saints of Ireland. To do this, she photographed Brigids all over Ireland and asked them how they felt about their name. She joins Emma to discuss the project - as does one of the Brigids involved in her project - Brigid McDonnell, a sheep farmer from County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Anita Rani speaks to Roopam Carroll, who recently sold her nursery business, and Ellen Broome, Head of Family and Childcare at the charity CORAM.Since the abdication of Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, there are no Queens in Europe. This is the first time this has happened since Queen Isabella of Spain was crowned in 1833. Will this make a difference in Europe? What difference have previous Queens in Europe made? Royal commentator Caroline Aston and journalist Emily Andrews join Anita to discuss. The creator of Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell, whose column in the New York Observer was the inspiration behind the TV series, joins Anita in the studio. The real-life Carrie Bradshaw is bringing her one-woman show about creating the hit series to the West End and then doing a UK tour. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lottie Garton

Nine people have been injured after a man threw a 'corrosive substance' over a mother and her two girls in Clapham, south London, yesterday evening. The family, three responding police offices and three other people who tried to help were taken to hospital after the attack. Witnesses described a "horrific" scene. Police are searching for the subject. Emma Barnett spoke to a solicitor Ayesha Nayyar, who has previously represented victims of acid crime. Emma talks to the TV presenter Kaye Adams about her 10-year battle with HMRC over their claim she owed almost £125,000 in unpaid taxes. Best known for her role on the Loose Women panel show, she also hosts the morning show on BBC Radio Scotland. She says the protracted legal case has left her feeling “utterly, utterly beat up and gaslit”, despite her vindication.A new study says that an ideological gap has opened up between young men and women in countries on every continent. These increasingly different world views could have far-reaching consequences. One of the leading researchers in gender studies Dr Alice Evans, Senior Lecturer in the Social Science of Development at King’s College London tells Emma why Gen Z is two generations, not one. Emma also speaks to Professor Rosie Campbell, Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London.Have you ever thought about where your name came from? Perhaps you were named after a favourite relative, a character in a movie or maybe your parents just liked the sound of it. Photographer Deirdre Brennan wanted to mark the 1500th anniversary of Saint Brigid, one of the patron saints of Ireland. To do this, she photographed Brigids all over Ireland and asked them how they felt about their name. She joins Emma to discuss the project - as does one of the Brigids involved in her project - Brigid McDonnell, a sheep farmer from County Antrim, Northern Ireland.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Steve Greenwood

Former Northern Ireland First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster joins the programme to talk about a return to devolution in Northern Ireland and the fourth anniversary of Brexit. Author Fiona Williams is out with her debut novel, The House of Broken Bricks. She joins Emma to talk about the ways in which the book relates to her real life in terms of navigating issues of race and belonging, and why she wanted to write a story so intertwined with nature. Thames Valley Police has referred itself to the policing regulator after a BBC investigation revealed that officers ridiculed an assault victim while watching body-worn video that showed her groin. Emma speaks with the BBC's Noel Titheradge about his investigation as well as Harriet Wistrich about misogyny in the UK police force.It’s out with heels and in with trainers. That’s what is happening in France where, according to a poll, women are falling out of love with high heels - instead going for a chunky boot or comfortable trainer. To discuss this fashion shift, Emma is joined by Professor of Fashion History Dr Serena Dyer and French shoe designer Marie Laffont.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Cece Armstrong Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

A new report comes out today by the Women and Equalities Select Committee about the serious problems faced by women in the music industry. To tell Emma Barnett what's in it is the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Conservative MP Caroline Nokes. Emma also gets the reaction of academic and business research consultant Vick Bain.Sky Sports presenter Jo Wilson has been gracing our screens since 2011, but what you might not have known is that Jo has also lived with Stage 3C cervical cancer. After a difficult birth experience in 2020, she was reluctant to book a smear test, but convinced herself to do it 19 months later leading to her diagnosis. Her treatment was successful, and she is now speaking out about her personal experience in a bid to encourage women to take up their smear tests. NHS data shows that almost a third of women in England did not attend their test last year. Emma speaks to Jo and to Theresa Freeman-Wang, consultant gynaecologist and clinical advisor to Jo’s Trust.After 20 years of silence, prize-winning author Lisa St Aubin de Terán is back with a new book. Aged 16, Lisa married a Venezuelan landowner-turned-bank robber; she eventually ran away from him with her young daughter only to end up trapped in a castle with the Scottish poet George MacBeth. From there she eloped to Italy and in 2004 she settled in north Mozambique, establishing the Teran Foundation to develop community tourism. She lived there until 2022 when a cyclone took the roof off her house, and returned to London with a bag full of manuscripts including her memoir, Better Broken than New. She joins Emma in studio.Last week we spoke about the record low birth rate in China as the country struggles to revert effects of the decades long one-child-policy. Today, we turn our attention to Japan. The population of the world’s third biggest economy has been declining for 16 years. An ageing workforce, combined with the country's strict immigration control, has, among other things, led to significant labour shortages. Could women be Japan’s hidden asset? Emma speaks to Moeka Iida, The Economist’s reporter and researcher in Tokyo.

Following the speech last week by the head of the British Armed Forces calling for a new ‘citizen army’, we look at what this could look like and what role women would play. Emma Barnett speaks to former RAF Group Captain Kathleen Sherit the author of Women on the Front Line, and to Diane Allen, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. It's been reported that the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fasts for 36 hours at the start of each week. He is said to stop eating by 5pm on a Sunday and doesn't permit himself to touch food again until 5am on a Tuesday, and allows himself to drink only black coffee and water. It is said that he has followed this practice for years. Emma is joined by Dr Saira Hameed to discuss fasting and how men and women should approach it differently. Amy and Anu are identical twins, but just after they were born, they were taken from their mother and sold to separate families. Years later they connected online and realised they were among thousands of babies in Georgia stolen from hospitals and sold, some as recently as 2005. Emma speaks to one of the twins, Amy Khvitia, and also Fay Nurse, a BBC journalist behind a new documentary, Georgia’s Stolen Children. From cute cat memes to plush toys, a new exhibition at Somerset House explores the power of cuteness in contemporary culture. But is buying into a cute aesthetic regressive or even sexist, or can cute be reclaimed as a form of protest? And how would you feel, as a grown woman, about being labelled 'cute' or 'adorable'? To discuss, Emma is joined by Dr Isabel Galleymore, a consultant on the Cute exhibition; and the journalist Vicky Spratt.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Emma Pearce

Hundreds of doctors - led by campaign group Long Covid Doctors for Action - are planning to sue the NHS over claims that inadequate PPE provision has left them with Long Covid. Dr Nathalie MacDermott, joins Emma Barnett to discuss. Do you pay your children to do the chores around the house? The journalist Helen Carroll faced an online backlash after revealing she pays her son £40 a month to load the dishwasher everyday. To navigate the thorny issue, Sue Atkins, Parenting Coach and Author of Parenting Made Easy joins Anita Rani to discuss. In an exclusive interview, Emma speaks to the academic Professor Jo Phoenix who has won an unfair dismissal claim against the Open University after she was compared with “a racist uncle at the Christmas table” because of her gender-critical beliefs. China is experiencing its biggest population drop in six decades. In an attempt to recover from the ‘one-child policy’ introduced in 1980, the government are now urging women to have more children. But a large amount of women in China are saying no – they don’t want children, or to get married. Ty Dr Ye Liu from King’s College London and Cindy Yu, host of the Spectator’s Chinese Whispers podcast, discuss. Rapper Princess Superstar speaks to Emma about finally hitting the big time after a 30-year career in the music industry. Her song, Perfect, features on the soundtrack of the blockbuster film Saltburn. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

False beliefs about what does and doesn’t constitute rape are more deeply ingrained in young people than we might think. The Crown Prosecution Service has conducted research into what these misconceptions are, and the impact they’re having on the justice system when it comes to rape convictions. Anita Rani is joined by Baljit Ubhey from the CPS and Andrea Simon from End Violence Against Women to hear more.Julia Bullock is an American classical singer. Her debut solo album, Walking in the Dark, was nominated for a Grammy award. Next week, she is bringing her mixed-media project History’s Persistent Voice to London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. It shines a light on the words, work and experiences of Black American and British artists, and includes new songs commissioned from leading Black women composers. She joins Anita to discuss her music, her influences and her passions. Journalist Helen Carroll faced a backlash online when she revealed she pays her son £40 a month to load the dishwasher. This sparked a discussion - were you paid as a child to do household chores? Or do you think children should just be doing things around the house anyway without money? Parenting coach and psychologist Sue Atkins joins Anita to discuss. Domino Day is a brand new series coming to BBC Three which combines the world of modern dating with the world of the supernatural. Series writer Lauren Sequeira speaks to Anita about why the show’s themes of modern relationships and female empowerment are so important to her, and why she wanted to show witches in a whole new light. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lottie Garton

Hundreds of doctors - led by campaign group Long Covid Doctors for Action - are planning to sue the NHS over claims that inadequate PPE provision has left them with Long Covid, according to Sky News. One of those, Dr Nathalie MacDermott, joins Emma Barnett to discuss it. Emma is joined by the rapper Princess Superstar who, after a 30-year career, has finally hit the big time following her song, Perfect, featuring on the soundtrack for the blockbuster film Saltburn. Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, we speak to three Jewish women - one, a survivor who was born in a concentration camp - about how you keep teaching the lessons of the Holocaust as fewer and fewer survivors are around to tell their stories. The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is facing pressure to fix "unfair" child benefit rules. Campaigners like Martin Lewis have called for it to be a focus of the Budget in March as he says single income families are being penalised. Emma talks to the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, the Conservative MP Harriet Baldwin, and Tom Waters from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Emma Pearce

The Victim’s and Prisoner’s Bill heads to the House of Lords today for the Committee Stage. What is it trying to achieve, and what difference will it make to women? Emma is joined by the Independent London Victim’s Commissioner, Claire Waxman OBE, and a woman who will share her personal experience of a partner convicted of child sexual abuse who, under the current law, still had access to his daughter. China is experiencing its biggest population drop in six decades. In an attempt to recover from the ‘one-child policy’ introduced in 1980, the government are now urging women to have more children. But a large amount of women in China are saying no – they don’t want children, or to get married. To discuss this further, Emma is joined by Dr Ye Liu from King’s College London and Cindy Yu, host of the Spectator’s Chinese Whispers podcast. D-MER is a relatively unknown condition that could affect around nine percent of mothers who breastfeed. Emma speaks to Charlie Middleton from the University of Dundee, who is leading a study into the condition to find out more about it, and Beth Strachan, who has D-MER and is currently breastfeeding. The Oscar nominations are out, and many feel that there are some key women who haven’t made the list, but should have. Among these are Barbie director Greta Gerwig and actor Margot Robbie – although Ryan Gosling has been nominated for his role in the movie. There’s only one woman director nominated – Justine Triet. Are women being snubbed? Film journalist Karen Krizanovich joins Emma to discuss.Presented by Emma Barnett Producer: Louise Corley Studio Engineer: Donald MacDonald

In an exclusive interview, Emma Barnett speaks to the academic Professor Jo Phoenix who has won an unfair dismissal claim against the Open University after she was compared with “a racist uncle at the Christmas table” because of her gender critical beliefs.New York Times writer Amanda Taub brings us the latest news from the US Presidential race.Irish actor Sarah Greene on her new project, an eight-part series – Sexy Beast – which has just launched on Paramount+. And we hear about a campaign to get a new portrait of Margaret Bondfield, the first female government minister, commissioned and hung in Parliament with MP Alison McGovern and historian Professor Pam Cox.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Tim Heffer

Award-winning DJ Paulette has been in the music industry for more than 30 years. She got her start at the famous Haçienda nightclub in Manchester but has DJ'd all over the world. Her book, Welcome to the Club: The Life and Lessons of a Black Woman DJ, tells some of the tales of her career so far and shines a light on many other women in the electronic dance music industry. Paulette joins Emma Barnett.New guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to healthcare workers says that suspected illegal abortions should not be reported to the police. This guidance, which applies to England and Wales, follows some recent cases where women have been convicted of having illegal abortions. Emma is joined by former Chief Superintendent at the Metropolitan Police Parm Sandhu, and Associate Professor in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at Durham University Dr Emma Milne to discuss.Buying second-hand clothes is fashionable again, thanks to online marketplaces like Vinted, Depop and eBay. Emma talks to Vinted co-founder Milda Mitkute about what it takes to turn an idea into a successful business and why she decided to leave the company in 2017 when her first child was born.Is the Government's key childcare promise to parents in trouble? One newspaper is reporting that thousands of parents are being warned they won't be able to access the offer of free childcare to under twos this year. Emma gets the view of providers from Neil Leitch, Chief Executive of the Early Years Alliance which represents 14,000 nurseries, pre-schools and childminders, and June O'Sullivan CEO of LEYF nurseries.

The Killing Eve star Jodie Comer joins us to discuss her latest film, The End We Start From. The protagonist is a new mum, who has to navigate a flooded Britain with her baby. Jodie also reflects on the powerful response to her play Prima Facie, and the impact of fame on her life.According to a new report by the charity Brainkind, up to one in two survivors of domestic abuse in the UK may be living with an undiagnosed brain injury. We speak to Steffy Bechelet from Brainkind and Dr Annemarie Burns, a consultant clinical neuro-psychologist.Vicky McClure joins us to discuss her new role as explosives expert Lana Washington in a new series of Trigger Point. How often do you feel weary and depleted? The burnout coach and historian Anna Schaffner discusses her book, Exhausted: An A-Z for the Weary.They were known as Israel’s “eyes on the border.” These were female Israeli border soldiers - who raised concerns about suspicious Hamas activity on the Gaza border in the run up to the October 7 attack - but those concerns went unheard by higher ranking officers. Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in that attack and took about 240 hostages, around 130 of whom are still being held. Since then, nearly 25,000 civilians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment that followed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. We speak to the BBC’s Alice Cuddy and the author Mary Ann Sieghart.The actor and activist Jameela Jamil has made headlines over the years for her provocative, sometimes sweary social media posts, often calling out celebrity culture for promoting unrealistic ideals. She reflects on cancel culture and her resolution to post online with more 'grace and empathy'.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lucy Wai Editor: Erin Riley

Vicky McClure is back on our screens as explosives expert Lana Washington in a new series of Trigger Point. Well known for her stand-out roles in Line of Duty and This is England, Vicky also set up the Dementia Choir, and recently received a MBE for services to drama and charity.The classic teen drama film Mean Girls has been remade as a musical film and it opens in the UK today. Author Holly Bourne, who writes young adult fiction, and film critic Christina Newland discuss its enduring themes.2024 will be the biggest year ever for democracy as more than four billion people across the world go to the polls. To mark this historic milestone, the FT has launched Democracy, 2024, a short film series to examine what democracy will look like in the year ahead. Anita Rani talks to FT editor Roula Khalaf and the comedian Aditi Mittal, who has contributed to the series.Dame Professor Lesley Regan, the Women’s Health Ambassador for England, gives an update on the progress of the Government’s Women's Health Strategy.And the latest on the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan with BBC journalist Zarghuna Kargar.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Emma Harth

The actor Jodie Comer became a household name playing the glorious baddie Villanelle in BBC drama Killing Eve, and she has gone on to win multiple awards for her work on screen and stage. She joins Emma Barnett now to talk about her latest film, The End We Start From. Think 28 Days Later meets The Day After Tomorrow with a twist – the protagonist is a new mum, who has to navigate a flooded Britain with her baby.Football commentators Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward are reported to be considering legal action against Joey Barton for his recent online criticisms of them. Eni Aluko has released a video on her Instagram speaking about the effect it has had on her. Where is the line between sexist bullying online and freedom of speech? Emma speaks to Henry Winter, Chief football writer at The Times and Seyi Akiwowo, founder of Glitch UK, a charity working to end online abuse, and author of How to Stay Safe Online.Olivia Attwood knows more than most about the financial – and emotional – cost of cosmetic treatments. The former Love Island contestant and star of The Only Way Is Essex has been open about the surgeries and 'tweakments' she has had. In her new ITV series The Price of Perfection, she goes behind the scenes to watch butts being lifted, lips being filled and breasts being enlarged. But she wants to make sure that teenage girls don’t make the mistakes she herself made.Da’Vine Joy Randolph has just won this year’s Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Mary Lamb in Alexander Payne’s new film The Holdovers. It’s about a teacher, pupil and head cook who end up spending Christmas together at a New England boarding school in the early 1970’s. Mary is grieving the loss of her son, who has been killed in Vietnam. Da’Vine has been tipped for more awards recognition to come, and she joins Emma in the Woman’s Hour studio.

The actress Jameela Jamil talks to Emma Barnett about her crusade for gentle exercise and body positivity as well as her new strategy for how she communicates on social media. She’s become one of the internet’s most prominent activists holding the beauty industry and celebrity culture to account for their unrealistic ideals with her provocative online posts. Her outspoken views have led to widely publicised social media spats which she says have left her with the desire to post with more “grace and empathy”. Best known for her role as Tahini in the Netflix series The Good Place she also hosts the podcast iWeigh which declares its “radical inclusivity” agenda where guests talk about what they “weigh” or value in life as opposed to their physical weight. New draft guidance from the Home Office appears to water down previously voted on laws about Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics. To talk about what this could mean for women seeking an abortion, and why the changes might be made, Emma is joined by Jo Gideon, Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central and Louise McCudden from MSI Reproductive Choices. They were known as Israel’s “eyes on the border.” These were female Israeli border soldiers - who raised concerns about suspicious Hamas activity on the Gaza border in the run up to the October 7 attack - but those concerns went unheard by higher ranking officers. Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in that attack and took about 240 hostages. Since then, more than 23,000 civilians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment that followed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Emma discusses with the BBC’s Alice Cuddy who reported on these soldiers and Mary Ann Sieghart, the journalist and author of “The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men and What We Can Do About it”The Traitors is back, we’re a few episodes into this second series of the hit reality TV show and things are hotting up at the Scottish castle, where a bunch of strangers are divided into traitors and ‘Faithful’ then compete to win up to £120,000. Claudia Winkleman is the host who hand picks the traitors. She joins Emma. Presented by Emma Barnett Producer: Louise Corley

The first female Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale has died at the age of 83. She was a huge trailblazer when it came to breaking down barriers for women in radio. To mark her death, we hear a clip from 2007 when Annie spoke to Martha Kearney on Woman’s Hour.Two female journalists who spent over a year in prison for covering the death of Mahsa Amini have been released on bail by Iranian authorities. Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi are appealing against their jail sentences and will remain out of prison until a decision is made. Emma Barnett is joined by Women's Affairs Journalist for the BBC World Service Ferenak Amidi to hear more.From Kourtney Kardashian to Sienna Miller, there’s been lots of recent examples of women who have kids early on in life, and then try to conceive with a new partner in their 40s and beyond. Journalist Grace Ackroyd has written candidly about her experience of this – she talks to Emma about having children again at a new stage in life, and the challenges she’s faced.Gladiators is back on our TV screens. The BBC’s reboot of the super popular 90s series was launched this weekend, with new games added to the show. We’ll hear the first impressions from one of the original Gladiators – Diane Youdale, better known as ‘Jet’, who joins Emma to talk about her own experience and advice she would give to the new female gladiators.Ahead of the US election this year, one woman has begun to challenge Donald Trump in the polls for who will be the Republican representative. To find out more about Nikki Haley, Emma is joined by Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of the US and Americas programme at Chatham House, and Julia Manchester, national political reporter at The Hill who is reporting live from this week’s Iowa caucuses. Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lottie Garton

Up to one in two survivors of domestic abuse in the UK may be living with an undiagnosed brain injury. That's according to a new report by the charity Brainkind. Emma Barnett is joined by Steffy Bechelet from Brainkind and Dr Annmarie Burns, a Consultant Clinical Neuro-psychologist.How often do you feel weary and depleted? Or perhaps just plain exhausted? Anna Schaffner knows these feelings well. Now a coach specialising in helping the exhausted, in her previous life as an academic, as a Professor of Cultural History at the University of Kent, she suffered from burnout. She has now written a book, Exhausted: An A-Z for the Weary.Since 1 January, working parents in England have been able to apply for a code to access new free childcare hours for two-year-olds, which will then kick in on 1 April. The scheme is part of a significant investment in childcare announced by the Government. But one campaigning organisation has found that parents are facing major challenges in securing a code. Joining Emma is Lauren Fabianski from the campaign group Pregnant then Screwed who carried out the survey.After the Advertising Standards Authority banned a Calvin Klein poster featuring the singer FKA twigs for presenting her “as a stereotypical sexual object”, we’re asking, what determines whether an advert is objectifying? Sarah Golding, the CEO of The&Partnership and journalist Rebecca Cope join Emma.Last week, Jade Robertson woke up to find that one of the dresses from her fashion brand Little Lies had sold out overnight – after Taylor Swift was spotted wearing it. Jade joins Emma to talk about what this means for her and her fashion brand. Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

Cush Jumbo is the award-winning actor known for her roles on the stage and screen, from The Good Fight to Macbeth. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss starring in - and executive producing – the new crime thriller series Criminal Record. Cush stars as DS June Lenker, a police detective locked in a confrontation with an older detective, played by Peter Capaldi, over a historic murder conviction.For the first time, Royal Mail has dedicated set of stamps to a female pop group, to commemorate 30 years since the Spice Girls formed in 1994. Lauren Bravo, a culture journalist and author and DJ Yinka Bokinni joined Emma to talk about it.Last week on Woman’s Hour we heard the candid admission by the former Labour MP and Government Minister, Dame Joan Ruddock that she was ready to end her terminally ill husband's life using a pillow in a bid to end his pain. Her husband the former MP Frank Doran had been suffering from end stage bowel cancer in 2017, and she struggled to get him pain relief medication in the hours before he died. She is now calling for a free vote in the Commons to legalise assisted dying. The public debate around the subject has been revived in recent months by leading figures such as Esther Rantzen - who revealed that she is considering travelling to a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland if her cancer worsens. But others such as Baroness Ilora Finlay, a cross bench peer in the House of Lords and a palliative end of life care expert, are cautioning against a law change. She believes improved access to care and pain relief is the answer when people are dying rather than the taking of lethal drugs. She joins Clare McDonnell to reflect on the new push for a law change.Shere Hite - a name many people will remember, but some may not know. She was a pioneering feminist sex researcher who published her ground-breaking book, The Hite Report: A National Study of Female Sexuality in 1976. The book was seen by many as radical, changing prevailing notions about female sexuality. Shere went on to write and publish several more books, but endured intense and lasting criticism in the US, and eventually moved to Europe and renounced her American citizenship in 1995. She died in 2020. Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated Director, Nicole Newnham felt that despite how influential Shere had been in life, that she has since been forgotten. So Nicole produced the documentary, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, which is released in UK cinemas on January 12th. She joins Krupa to discuss it. As the number of pupils missing a significant amount of their education is about double the level it was before the pandemic, Clare is joined by Ellie Costello, the executive director of Square Peg, a not-for-profit which helps families that struggle with school attendance.

A pilot scheme to allow journalists to report cases from three family courts in England and Wales is to be extended to almost half of the courts. From the end of January, coverage of cases at 16 more family court centres in England will be permitted. This means 19 of the 43 centres in England and Wales will be part of the Transparency Pilot. Families and individual social workers will be anonymous under the scheme. Krupa Padhy talks to Louise Tickle, a journalist who specialises in reporting on family courts and leads a project for the Bureau of Investigative journalism supporting other journalists to do the same, and Angela Frazer Wicks, Chair of the Family Rights Group and a parent with experience of the family justice system.Popular psychology tends to define a quarter-life crisis as the confusion, stress and anxiety individuals in their 20s and 30s feel about their goals, beliefs and relationships as they seek direction in life and look to find their place in the world. Satya Doyle Byock, a clinical psychotherapist based in the US is the author of the new book Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood and she joins Krupa to talk about young people's struggles with the push and pull of meaning and stability.Northern Soul is commonly associated with Northern England and the 1970s. But mother and daughter duo Levanna and Eve are turning this on its head. Through Levanna’s viral dance videos on social media and Eve’s DJing at their events in Bristol, they’re bringing Northern groove to the South West, all whilst introducing a new generation to the genre. They speak to Krupa about the release of their new album, Wonderful Night.Shere Hite was a pioneering feminist sex researcher who published The Hite Report: A National Study of Female Sexuality in 1976. The book was seen by many as radical, changing prevailing notions about female sexuality. It laid out the views of 3,500 women on sexuality and the female orgasm, but it was derided by some, including Playboy, which dubbed it the "Hate Report". Shere went on to write and publish several more books, but endured intense and lasting criticism in the US, and eventually moved to Europe and renounced her American citizenship in 1995. She died in 2020. Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated director Nicole Newnham felt that despite how influential Shere had been in life, that she has since been forgotten. So, Nicole produced the documentary, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, which is in UK cinemas from 12 January. She joins Krupa to discuss it.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Duncan HannantPresenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Duncan Hannant

Farah Naz, the aunt of murdered law graduate Zara Aleena, tells of her concerns that her niece’s killer has allegedly been caught having sex with a prison worker. Jordan McSweeney is serving a life sentence at high security Belmarsh Prison in South London.For the first time, Royal Mail has dedicated set of stamps to a female pop group, to commemorate 30 years since the Spice Girls formed in 1994. We talk to Lauren Bravo, a culture journalist and DJ Yinka Bokinni. We hear about the start of a new landmark Radio 4 documentary series called Child which follows a child’s development from fertilisation to first birthday from its creator India Rakusen.There’s been a surge in the number of scabies cases and experts are warning there’s an acute shortage of treatments which is turning it into a major public health threat. Emma Barnett talks to Dr Tess McPherson about who is most at risk from catching it and how best to avoid it.And we talk to barrister Harriet Johnson about a study which suggests rape convictions are 20% less likely in cases where victims give pre-recorded evidence. Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Emma Harth

Woman’s Hour investigates the cosmetic surgery clinic taking legal action when patients post unfavourable reviews. Kate Kronenbach tells reporter Melanie Abbott she was disappointed when she had an operation to remove fat from her arms after losing 10 stone, and received a solicitor’s letter when she wrote about her experience on the Trustpilot website. Action has also been taken against five others. The Free Speech Union is supporting them in their case. Clare McDonnell discusses the story with Melanie and speaks to the Union and to patient campaigner Dawn Knight. Is speed-dating making a comeback? Apathy over dating apps seems to be pushing both men and women towards the kind of speed dating that was so popular in the nineties. But is it better than online dating? And does it work? Clare is joined by writer Radhika Sanghani and relationship counsellor Suzie Hayman to discuss.Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina won a controversial fourth consecutive term in Parliamentary elections last elections last Sunday. The opposition party called it a 'sham' election, coming after mass arrests of her political opponents and refused to participate. The leader of the Opposition former PM Khaleda Zia – also female - is under house arrest. Between them the two women have dominated Bangladeshi politics since 1991. BBC News South Asian Correspondent, Samira Hussain, joins Clare McDonnell to tell us more about these leaders and the political situation in Bangladesh. Last week on Woman’s Hour we heard the candid admission by the former Labour MP and Government Minister, Dame Joan Ruddock that she was ready to end her terminally ill husband's life using a pillow in a bid to end his pain. Her husband the former MP Frank Doran had been suffering from end stage bowel cancer in 2017, and she struggled to get him pain relief medication in the hours before he died. She is now calling for a free vote in the Commons to legalise assisted dying. The public debate around the subject has been revived in recent months by leading figures such as Esther Rantzen - who revealed that she is considering travelling to a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland if her cancer worsens; and the late Dame Diana Rigg, who made a recording before her death making the case for assisted dying. But others such as Baroness Ilora Finlay, a cross bench peer in the House of Lords and a palliative end of life care expert, are cautioning against a law change. She believes improved access to care and pain relief is the answer when people are dying rather than the taking of lethal drugs. She joins Clare McDonnell to reflect on the new push for a law change.Presented by Clare McDonnell Producer: Louise Corley

The number of midwives in England has increased by just 7% over the last year and some NHS Trusts in England have more than one in five midwifery jobs vacant, according to BBC research. The Royal College of Midwives says staffing gaps have to close. The BBC’s Health Correspondent Catherine Burns joins Clare McDonnell to talk about what her investigation into maternity units in England has discovered, and to share the story of Farzana, who had to give birth on her own after midwives said they were too busy to answer her calls.Carole Stone must have one of the best address books ever. A former producer of BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions, for years Carole has run 'salons' and parties bringing together hundreds of interesting people - politicians, actors, journalists. Carole’s partner, the TV broadcaster Richard Lindley, died four years ago. Carole joins Clare to discuss how and why she is looking for another soulmate at the age of 81. Could the next leader of North Korea be a woman? Clare gets the latest from lead correspondent at NK News, Jeongmin Kim, and hears more about what life is like for women on the ground with North Korea expert, Professor Hazel Smith.As the number of pupils missing a significant amount of their education is about double the level it was before the pandemic, Clare is joined by Ellie Costello, the executive director of Square Peg, a not-for-profit which helps families that struggle with school attendance. It’s 60 years this week since Jackie, the magazine for teenage girls, was first published. At its peak, it was selling more than a million copies a week. To celebrate the anniversary, Clare is joined by Nina Myskow, Jackie’s first female editor, and Wendy Rigg, a teenage fan who achieved her dream of working on Jackie.Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Lottie Garton

Cush Jumbo is the award-winning actor known for her roles on the stage and screen, from The Good Fight to Macbeth. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss starring in - and executive producing – the new crime thriller series Criminal Record. Cush stars as DS June Lenker, a police detective locked in a confrontation with an older detective, played by Peter Capaldi, over a historic murder conviction.A BBC investigation into one of Africa’s most influential pastors has uncovered hundreds of allegations of abuse, including a number of British victims. TB Joshua, who founded the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Nigeria, built an evangelical empire that drew presidents, Premier League footballers and millions of followers from across the globe - including from towns and cities across the UK. Multiple victims claim they repeatedly tried to raise the alarm with British authorities, including the Foreign Office, but an adequate investigation “never took place”. Two UK survivors of his abuse - Rae and Anneka - join Clare to discuss their experiences as ‘disciples’, why they left and the law changes they hope will result from this exposure.The Post Office Horizon scandal is once more dominating the headlines. Today, a petition calling for the former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells to lose her CBE has received more than one million signatures, and yesterday the Prime Minister told the BBC the Government was reviewing options to help victims of the scandal. More than 700 branch managers were convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud based on faulty software. Currently, a public inquiry into the scandal is ongoing and the Metropolitan Police is investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences arising from the prosecutions. One of the women who was falsely accused was Jo Hamilton. Her story has been told in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs. The Post Office, where she was played by the actor Monica Dolan. Jo joins Clare.What do you do if your child refuses to go to school? Today, the Government is expected to announce funding for a new initiative aimed at tackling school absences in England. More than a fifth of secondary school pupils in England are persistently absent. The new scheme will see funding for school attendance mentors, an initiative which has been trialled in a pilot by the charity Barnardos. Clare speaks to Nadine Good from the charity, and hears from head teacher Simon Kidwell.

Police are investigating what is possibly the first crime of its kind: a British schoolgirl playing a game in the metaverse was allegedly sexually assaulted by a group of online strangers. Given that this happened in a virtual reality game, it is not yet clear whether there is any crime here to prosecute. We hear from Helen Rumbelow from The Times, and her colleague Sean Russell, who has gone into the metaverse as both a man and a woman, and was struck by how different it was.How much of your daily life do you spend negotiating? Perhaps at work, or with your children – or even in-laws? Mum and a mic on Instagram, Jane Dowden, discusses the negotiations she has with her twins, and clinical psychologist Catherine Hallissey tells us what goes on in our brains while we’re negotiating, and the best way to do so with family.Is farming getting easier for women? New research out this week suggests that women working in agriculture are finding life worse now than they did 10 years ago. This comes as more women are showing an interest in pursuing farming as a career – with some agricultural colleges enrolling record numbers of girls onto their courses. We hear from Emily Norton, a female farmer and agricultural commentator, as well as Bridgette Baker, a young farmer who recently graduated, to find out their experiences in farming.Violinist Izzy Judd trained at the Royal Academy of Music and was an original member of the string quartet Escala, who shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent in 2008. She met her husband Harry on the McFly Wonderland tour. Following marriage and three small children, Izzy has written two books - Dare to Dream and Mindfulness for Mums. She has now returned to her love of playing the violin, with a forthcoming EP - Moments, and a single - Somewhere in My Memory. The Storm We Made is a new book by the debut author Vanessa Chan. Set in what we know today as Malaysia across two timelines - British colonialism and Japanese colonialism - it follows bored housewife Cecily who risks it all to become a spy for a general. But her decisions have huge repercussions for her and her family. Vanessa Chan tells us about her book which was fought over in a seven-way auction by publishers in the UK.Steph Daniels gave up hockey in her 30s to teach PE and English and manage an all-female synth pop group called Zenana. However, in her 70s, she saw an advert for Bedford Hockey Club and decided to dust off her sticks. Since then, she’s even attended a trial for the over-70s England team and vows to try again next year. She tells us about reigniting old passions.Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

Female artists dominated the 2023 music scene. New figures from the British Phonographic Institute reveal that Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Raye, Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding and many more - spent a record-breaking 31 weeks in the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart. But that’s not all... they had seven of the top 10 singles and even took the top vinyl album spot. Why was 2023 so good for female artists? And will it continue? We ask global music business lecturer and podcaster, Karlyn King, and music journalist Jo Kendall.Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs says new Government plans to get rid of shorter jail sentences in England and Wales put women at risk. The new sentencing bill currently making its way through Parliament aims to give what are known as suspended sentences where people may have instead been given jail terms of 12 months or less. Estimates from the Office for National Statistics show around 2.4 million people - 1.7 million of those being women - suffered from domestic abuse in the year to March 2022.We're a few days into the new year - and maybe you're trying to start some new healthy habits, or even hygiene habits. And for some that's desperately needed - a new survey from the bathroom suppliers Showers to You shows that out of 2,200 UK residents, almost one in ten only wash their towels twice a year. 5% of men have admitted to washing towels once a year - compared to 1% of women. Professor Sally Bloomfield from the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene explains what we should be doing to protect ourselves and others.Is farming getting easier for women? New research out today suggests that women working in agriculture are finding life worse now than they did 10 years ago. This comes as more women are showing an interest in pursuing farming as a career – with some agricultural colleges enrolling record numbers of girls onto their courses. Claire McDonnell speaks to Emily Norton, a female farmer and agricultural commentator, as well as Bridgette Baker, a young farmer who recently graduated, to find out their experiences in farming.Women’s Health magazine is an iconic brand in the UK and read globally by millions of people monthly. Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief Claire Sanderson has just made history as the first woman globally to also be appointed Editor-in-Chief of Men's Health. Claire joins Woman’s Hour to discuss what it means to be a woman editing a men’s magazine, whether there is a crossover with what women and men are reading and, in an age where we’re worried about body image, are these magazines useful?Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Kirsty Starkey Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

Katherine Parkinson has graced our TV screens for almost two decades, from Doc Martin and The IT Crowd to Humans and Here We Go. Now she has a comedy drama airing on ITV called Significant Other, in which she plays one half of an odd couple - neighbours who meet in highly unusual circumstances. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss. Former Labour MP and government Minister Dame Joan Ruddock tells Clare about her call for a free vote in the Commons to legalise assisted dying. She admitted she was ready to end her terminally ill husband’s life to stop his pain. Our New Year's day programme on negotiating provoked one listener to write to us: 'I would love you to cover negotiations between carers and their parent with dementia. Another world! As is negotiating between carer and their siblings'. Professor June Andrews, who’s a fellow of the Royal College of Nursing and an author of Carers and Caring, and Dr Lis Boulton, Health and Care Manager at the charity Age UK, discuss. The Storm We Made is a new book by the debut author Vanessa Chan. Set in what we know today as Malaysia across two timelines - British colonialism and Japanese colonialism - it follows bored housewife Cecily who risks it all to become a spy for a general. But her decisions have huge repercussions for her and her family. Vanessa Chan joins Clare to discuss her book which was fought over in a seven-way auction by publishers in the UK. Steph Daniels gave up hockey in her 30s to teach PE and English and manage an all-female synth pop group called Zenana. However, in her 70s, she saw an advert for Bedford Hockey Club and decided to dust off her sticks. Since then, she’s even attended a trial for the over-70s England team and vows to try again next year. She joins Clare to talk about reigniting old passions.Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Dianne McGregor

A new play - Shakespeare’s Women - transports ten of Shakespeare’s female characters from the 16th century to 2024, placing them in the same domestic abuse support group. Written by Lorien Haynes, this dark comedy gradually exposes each woman’s darkest secrets and asks what would happen if these protagonists survived their men and traditional narratives, to become flesh and blood today? Lorien and the director Jude Kelly, join Emma Barnett in the Woman’s Hour studio.Violinist Izzy Judd trained at the Royal Academy of Music and was an original member of the string quartet Escala, who shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent in 2008. She met her husband Harry on the McFly Wonderland tour. Following marriage and three small children, Izzy has written two books - Dare to Dream and Mindfulness for Mums. She has now returned to her love of playing the violin, with a forthcoming EP - Moments, and a single - Somewhere in My Memory. Izzy joins Emma to talk about her music and motherhood.Police are investigating what is possibly the first crime of its kind: a British schoolgirl playing a game in the metaverse was allegedly sexually assaulted by a group of online strangers. Given that this happened in a virtual reality game, it is not yet clear whether there is any crime here to prosecute. Emma is joined by Helen Rumbelow from The Times and her colleague Sean Russell, who has gone into the metaverse as both a man and a woman, and was struck by how different it was.In 2015, BAFTA-winning film-maker Leslee Udwin decided that making programmes to raise awareness about issues like rape was not enough for her. Her investigation India’s Daughter - about Jyoti Singh Pandey who was raped, tortured and killed by six men on a bus in Delhi in 2012 – asked why men rape women. Leslee spoke to one of the attackers, who blamed the victim. Leslee decided to campaign for a revolution in education, not just in India, but in the UK and theoretically, every country. Her aim is to equip all children with the tools to ‘think equal,’ and reduce violence against women. She joins Emma.

The names of Jeffrey Epstein's associates are likely to be published today, after a judge in the US ordered the release of court documents. Epstein took his own life after he was accussed of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls. Names connected to him have previously been anonymised as John or Jane Doe; but now around 170 people, mostly men, will have their association with the former financier made public. Joan Smith, journalist and author, and Georgina Calvert-Lee, an equality lawyer at Bellevue Law, tell Emma Barnett what the list will mean.Lavinia Greenlaw is one of the country's leading poets and has now published a selected edition of her work, covering three decades of writing. She tells Emma about her new role as poetry editor at Faber, the first woman to hold the position. She is now the custodian of a back catalogue that includes TS Eliot, Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes, and the gatekeeper for aspiring poets of the next generation.It is ten years since journalist Alison O’Reilly revealed that up to 796 babies were buried in a mass, unmarked grave in the grounds of a former mother and baby home in Galway in Ireland. The Irish government has promised compensation but none has been paid out. Is this now about to change? Alison joins Emma to discuss the latest developments.And how far would you go to help a friend? In Lindsay Duncan's new drama, Truelove, on Channel 4, a drunken reunion at a funeral leads a group of friends to make a pact: they will support each other in assisted dying rather than let a friend suffer alone. Lindsay tells Emma how a thriller starring a cast in their 70s and 80s is turning the police procedural on its head.Producer: Hannah Sander Presenter: Emma Barnett

A special Woman's Hour episode all about women and negotiation. Nicky Perfect is the former Deputy Head of the elite New Scotland Yard Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Unit. She has travelled the world teaching negotiation and working with the Government on international operations. She’ll be joining Hayley Hassall throughout the programme sharing her own experiences and advice, and taking us through how what she learnt can be used in our everyday lives.What has been the role of women in negotiations historically? Professor Margaret Macmillan specialises in British Imperial and International History from the 19th to the 20th Century. In those days, negotiations never involved women on paper – but that wasn’t always the case in reality. She joins Hayley to tell us more. Nomi Bar-Yaacov has been all over the world mediating and negotiating international conflicts. She’ll tell Hayley some of her experiences, as well as how these negotiations happen, and the different roles women play.How much of your daily life do you spend negotiating? Perhaps at work, or with your children – or even in-laws? Mum and a mic on Instagram, Jane Dowden, joins Hayley to chat through negotiations she has with her twins, and clinical psychologist Catherine Hallissey will talk about what goes on in our brains while we’re negotiating, and the best way to do so with family. At the end of last year, the largest negotiations including delegates from all over the world took place – COP28, the United Nation's climate summit. Rachel Kyte was there – and at several previous COPs as well, having served as special representative of the UN secretary-general and chief executive officer of Sustainable Development for All among other roles. She’ll tell Hayley all about how negotiations like COP work behind-the-scenes, including the strops and the drama that lead eventually to world-changing commitments. Presenter: Hayley Hassall Producer: Lottie Garton

Just 14% of care leavers go to university, compared to 47% of young people who didn’t grow up in care, according to a report by the think tank Civitas. The figures have barely changed over the past 10 years and at the current rate of progress, it will take 107 years to close the gap. Two care-experienced young women who did manage to smash the so-called care ceiling share their experiences with Krupa; Rebecca Munro, who graduated with a masters in business and is now an Education Liaison Officer at the University of St Andrews and Lucy Barnes, a barrister.Up to half of women will have a UTI at some point in their life. Earlier this year the NHS launched a new awareness campaign which the filmmaker and author Kate Muir has criticised for not mentioning vaginal oestrogen as a treatment. Kate joins Krupa Padhy alongside Dr Olivia Hum, a GP who is on the Council of the British Menopause Society.Actor Dame Siân Phillips’ life and career are explored in a new documentary, Siân Phillips at 90. She joins Krupa to talk about some of her acting roles, including playing Emmeline Pankhurst in a BBC drama in the 1970s, what it was like being married to Peter O’Toole, and what she’s doing now.Terri Lyne Carrington, a multi-Grammy-winning drummer and jazz artist, saw a distinct lack of songs by female composers being learned by jazz musicians - and decided to fix it. As a ‘gender justice advocate’ she decided to create a project, the New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets By Women Composers, and an accompanying album which won a Grammy, to shine a light on female jazz composers. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss the project and jazz and gender justice on our special programme about women digging for the truth.Would you swap your trousers for a pair of statement knickers? Julia Hobbs from Vogue tells Krupa about the new trouser-less trend that's been sweeping the catwalks and social media, and the reactions she got when testing it out on the London Underground.As a nation we eat more sprouts than any other country in Europe but it’s a vegetable that, like marmite, divides opinion. Anita Rani is joined by plant pathologist Dr Lauren Chappell and the brassica research expert Dr Rachel Wells to explain how sprouts are being engineered to taste sweeter and withstand climate change. Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Hanna Ward Studio Manager: Donald MacDonald

Actor Dame Siân Phillips’ life and career are explored in a new documentary, Siân Phillips at 90. She joins Krupa Padhy to talk about some of her acting roles, including playing Emmeline Pankhurst in a BBC drama in the 1970s, what it was like being married to Peter O’Toole, and what she’s doing now.Clemency Burton-Hill MBE, is an award-winning broadcaster, podcaster, author, journalist and musician. She joins Krupa to discuss Journal of Wonder - the newest book in her bestselling Year of Wonder series - which takes you from January to December with classical music suggestions for every day.The power of attorney system can sometimes be abused to take advantage of older people. Krupa is joined by Carolyn Stephens, who shares her story of becoming estranged from her elderly father after he met a woman on a singles holiday. He later agreed to grant power of attorney to the woman, which resulted in him being placed in a care home without his family knowing. Journalist Sue Mitchell, who shares the details of the whole affair in an upcoming radio documentary, also joins Krupa to talk about why she wanted to tell Carolyn’s story. Co-founder of The Onion Collective, Jess Prendergast, tells Krupa how she and her friends created the social enterprise East Quay Watchet in Somerset after they were frustrated by the lack of opportunities in their local town. Plus local ‘craftivist’ Lyn Barlow tells us about exhibiting her textile art in the new gallery and what the new enterprise means to her. Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Lottie Garton

This summer, the region of Manipur in India made headlines after two women were viciously attacked and assaulted by a mob of men. With a similar case happening this month in the south west of the country, Krupa Padhy is joined by Geeta Pandey, BBC Women and Social Affairs Editor in Delhi, and Professor of Modern Indian History at the University of Nottingham, Dr Uditi Sen, to find out why these incidents continue to happen and whether anything is being done at a higher level to stop them.Just 14% of care leavers go to university, compared to 47% of young people who didn’t grow up in care, according to a report by the think tank Civitas. The figures have barely changed over the past 10 years and at the current rate of progress, it will take 107 years to close the gap. Two care-experienced young women who did manage to smash the so-called care ceiling share their experiences with Krupa; Rebecca Munro, who graduated with a masters in business and is now an Education Liaison Officer at the University of St Andrews and Lucy Barnes, a barrister.A freebirth is defined as giving birth without a healthcare professional in attendance. It is also known as an unassisted birth. Anecdotally, more women are making this choice in the UK - but why? What sort of experiences are they having and is it a safe and responsible decision? Krupa speaks to Naomi Nygaarda, a psychotherapist and a mother who chose to freebirth both her children and Mavis Kirkham, a retired midwife and emeritus Professor of Midwifery at Sheffield Hallam University and co-editor of Freebirth Stories, a collection of stories from women choosing to give birth this way. Would you swap your trousers for a pair of statement knickers? Julia Hobbs from Vogue tells Krupa about the new trouser-less trend that's been sweeping the catwalks and social media, and the reactions she got when testing it out on the London Underground.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Emma Harth

Up to half of women will have a UTI at some point in their life. Earlier this year the NHS launched a new awareness campaign which the filmaker and author Kate Muir has criticised for not mentioning vaginal oestrogen as a treatment. Kate joins Krupa Padhy alongside Dr Olivia Hum, a GP who is on the Council of the British Menopause Society. Dr Ronny Cheung speaks to Krupa about the double-edge sword of children building their immunities in their early years and the disruption caused to working parents and carers. What do parents need to know about caring for a child with seasonal colds and coughs? Sally Snowman is the last official lighthouse keeper in the United States and at the end of this month she will retire after two decades of service. She's the first and last woman to be the lighthouse keeper for Boston Light in Massachusetts. She joins Krupa to discuss what it's like being a lighthouse keeper and how she feels about leaving it.We know that Christmas and New Year, although filled with joy for some, can put a really big strain on relationships and it can be a time when people in an unhappy relationship decide to end them. But is there ever a good way to break up a relationship? And is it ever acceptable or kinder to end something by text? Krupa is joined by Olivia Petter, journalist and author of Millennial Love and Vicky Spratt, journalist and documentary maker.The award winning comedian, writer, playwright and actor Meera Syal – known for her comedy series such as Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars - has been talking to Ros Akins on Radio 4’s Media Show, we can hear some of that interview.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Emma Pearce

A special Woman’s Hour episode all about women who dig for the truth.Marianne Asher-Chapman from Holts Summit, Missouri has been searching for her daughter, Angie Yarnell, for more than 20 years now. Angie went missing in 2003. Her husband, Michael pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2009. He was released in 2013. He has so far refused to tell Marianne or the authorities where he buried Angie - and Marianne has been unable to find her - despite physically digging in the property where she thinks her daughter may have been buried. She joins Nuala to discuss what she’s done to find her daughter and how she’s now helping other families with missing relatives.Terri Lyne Carrington, a multi-Grammy-winning drummer and jazz artist, saw a distinct lack of songs by female composers being learned by jazz musicians - and decided to fix it. As a ‘gender justice advocate’ she decided to create a project, the New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets By Women Composers, and an accompanying album which won a Grammy, to shine a light on female jazz composers. She joins Nuala to discuss the project and jazz and gender justice on our special programme about women digging for the truth.Many of us have stayed up late, spending the night scrolling through the internet, looking for clues or information we might be on the hunt for. But have you ever felt like you need help to find out something? Someone to confirm your worst fears or set you free? Alison Harris is a private investigator and began her career in investigations later in life. She speaks to Nuala about how being a PI isn’t always the glamorous job we imagine - and what it’s like to find the truth for people.In 2018, Helen McLaughlin and Karen Whitehouse got married in Amsterdam - but they had their day forever changed in their memories, after someone defecated on the floor of a toilet cubicle in the ladies’ bathroom. They enlisted the help of their friend, ‘Detective’ Lauren Kilby to find out who did it - and why. Karen Whitehouse, one of the brides, and ‘Detective’ Lauren join Nuala to talk about their unusual investigation - and why they couldn’t let it go.A name you may be familiar with when it comes to the search for the truth is historian, Philippa Langley. Known now by many as the woman who found King Richard III underneath a car park in Leicester, she’s turned her attention to his nephews, the missing Princes, who for centuries have been said to have been murdered by their uncle, King Richard, after he took the throne. Her new research suggests otherwise - and she joins Nuala to talk all about the search for the truth and what it means to her.

Our Christmas Day special programme is devoted to the Brussels sprout, with some incredible women for whom they’re playing a key role in their working lives. As a nation we eat more sprouts than any other country in Europe but it’s a vegetable that, like marmite, divides opinion. Originally from the Middle East, they came to Europe as an export of the Roman Empire. We hear how they became known as Brussels sprouts with the head of the Royal Horticultural Society Clare Matterson and the food historian Dr Sue Bailey. Plant pathologist Dr Lauren Chappell and the brassica research expert Dr Rachel Wells explain how sprouts are being engineered to taste sweeter and withstand climate change. Nutritionist Charlotte Hunter says the phytoestrogens in these mini cabbages mean women should be eating more of them. And for ideas about how to cook your sprouts, chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver and her daughter Miquita are on hand, as well as the chef Rosalind Rathouse.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager Neva Missirian

23-year-old Gracie Spinks was killed by a man who she had reported to the police for stalking her. The inquest into her death reported several failures by Derbyshire Police in how her case was handled. Now, her parents, Richard Spinks and Alison Ward, are campaigning for Gracie’s Law, which would ensure better training for police officers around stalking, and the appointment of independent stalking advocates. They tell us about Gracie and the changes they want to be made in her memory.Have you got a signature scent – and would you share where you got it from? Whether you are ‘gatekeeping’ your perfume or keen to spread the word about your favourite scent, smell is one of the most evocative and emotive of our senses. We talk all things fragrance with The Guardian's beauty editor, Sali Hughes, and Experimental Perfume Club’s Roshni Dhanjee - why we want to smell unique, gifting perfume, and why smell is so connected to our emotions and identity.‘There is an expectation that women like me – without children - will pick up the slack so the working mums can have time off with their families’. Those are the words of Sam Walsh who has worked every Boxing Day for the last 20 years. She decided to quit her retail job in October because she resented having to work over the Xmas period. Sam, who runs The Non Mum Network Facebook group and website, says working parents shouldn’t be given priority. Kelly Simmons has recently left the Football Association after 32 years with the organisation. Best known for her time as Director of the Women’s Professional Game, Kelly joins Jessica Creighton to discuss her long career and the future of the Women’s Super League, which she helped to launch and transform.Elle and The Pocket Belles describe themselves as an all-girl retro band. They are a vocal harmony group who have been singing together for more than a decade. They’ll be creating more Christmas cheer for us.Presenter: Jessica Creighton Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Rebecca Myatt

A new drug called Veoza used to prevent hot flushes and night sweats has been approved in the UK. Also known as fezolinetant, it is prescription-only and will be available privately from January. Dr Paula Briggs, chair of the British Menopause Society and consultant in sexual and reproductive health at Liverpool Women’s Hospital joins Jessica to explain the importance for many women of this decision.What would you say to spending Christmas with your friends instead of your family? You may have seen an article this morning in the Independent where the journalist Katie Glass says she'll be having a 'women-only Christmas', sharing the day with four like-minded girlfriends. Some of us may choose to do this intentionally, for others it may not be their first choice but they are making the most of the situation. And sometimes the most unexpected Christmases turn out to be the most fun. Journalist Daisy Finer spent Christmas last year with a female friend, when her children were with her ex-husband, and talks about 'the joy of a very self-centred Christmas'.Have you got a signature scent – and would you share where you got it from? Whether you are ‘gatekeeping’ your perfume or keen to spread the word about your favourite scent, smell is one of the most evocative and emotive of our senses. Joining Jessica Creighton to talk all things fragrance, Guardian beauty editor Sali Hughes and Experimental Perfume Club’s Roshni Dhanjee discuss why we want to smell unique, gifting perfume, and why smell is so connected to our emotions and identity.Can loneliness really take the same toll on your physical and mental health as smoking and lack of exercise? The British Psychological Society says it’s a scourge on society and should be treated as a public health emergency. It’s calling for the Government’s 2018 Loneliness Strategy to be updated to reflect the impact of the pandemic. We talk to Julia Faulconbridge, a consultant clinical psychologist from the organisation, and also Liz Veitch, a retired deputy headteacher who became increasingly lonely after being widowed, moving house and then facing the lockdowns. She was introduced to 19-year-old Ankita Menon, a volunteer with Kissing It Better, whose mission statement is ‘to reduce the isolation of old age by bringing the generations together.’Elle and The Pocket Belles sing live in the Woman’s Hour studio on the last live programme before Christmas. Describing themselves as an all-girl retro band, they are a vocal harmony group who have been singing together for more than a decade. They’ll be creating more Christmas cheer with a couple of seasonal songs.Presenter: Jessica Creighton Producer: Kirsty Starkey

The Met Police have reported that cases of spiking - putting alcohol or drugs into another person's drink or body without their consent - have quadrupled in London over the last five years. This week the Home Office set out new provisions to provide training for venue staff and test-kits for customers. Campaigner Sharon Gaffka joins Jessica Creighton to talk about whether that's enough for spiking victims. As we gear up for Christmas, some people might be considering the age-old question: How do you survive the big day without falling out with your family? With unwanted questions about your parenting style, your career or even your love life - tensions can often rise over the brussels sprouts. Camilla McGill is a parent coach and joins Jessica to give us tips on how to manage anxieties and stress with loved ones.A 16-year-old girl died last week from what is thought to have been a blood clot - three weeks after being prescribed the contraceptive pill. According to the NHS, there is a very low risk of serious side effects from taking the pill. Dr Janet Barter is a consultant in sexual and reproductive health at Barts Health NHS Trust in London – she tells Jessica the facts we need to know around the pill.Last year, female-owned businesses received just 2% of all venture capital funding, Parliament’s Treasury Committee found. Entrepreneur Grace Beverley wants to raise awareness of the female funding gap. She joins Jessica to talk about her business model and using her platform to empower women. If you are a woman who is adopted, then the decision to have children of your own can be a complicated one, as your own birth family’s medical history may be a mystery to you. How do you know what you are passing on through your genes? Writer and journalist Katharine Quarmby has been looking into this issue because she has had to grapple with it herself. She joins Jessica to discuss. Presenter: Jessica Creighton Producer: Lottie Garton

England goalkeeper Mary Earps has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She was a big part of the Lionesses' win at the Euros in 2022 and was named goalkeeper of the tournament in this year's World Cup. But back in 2019 she was ready to quit the game. Jessica Creighton speaks to Rebecca Myers from the The Sunday Times about Earps' bumpy road to success.Kelly Simmons has recently left the Football Association after 32 years with the organisation. Best known for her time as Director of the Women’s Professional Game, Kelly joins Jessica to discuss her long career and the future of the Women’s Super League which she helped to launch and transform.A breakthrough on why women get pregnancy sickness could open the way to finding a cure. Scientists have discovered a hormone that causes nausea and vomiting in pregnant women, sometimes to the extent that they get Hyperemesis Gravidarum – the most severe form of sickness often resulting in hospitalisation. Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine at Cambridge University Sir Stephen O’Rahilly and CEO of the charity Pregnancy Sickness Support Charlotte Howden join Jessica to discuss the implications of this discovery.Could planning for a simpler, more realistic January be the best way to help your mental health this Christmas? Author and psychological decluttering expert Cathy Madavan and clinical psychologist Dr Emma Hepburn join Jessica to discuss why less might mean more as we move into the new year.'Go to the front line yourself - and die'. Those are the reported words of the wives and girlfriends of Russian soldiers to Vladimir Putin, who they are addressing on a Telegram channel called The Way Home. According to UK estimates, 300,000 military personnel from Russia have died during the war in Ukraine. Jessica gets insights from Dr Jenny Mathers from the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University.

Kirsty Wark joins Emma Barnett to talk about stepping down from Newsnight after 30 years; what she’s planning to fill the extra time with and she also shares some Christmas cooking tips.A new book, A Heart Afire, paints a picture of paediatrician Helen Taussig who dedicated her life to looking after children with heart defects. We hear from author Patricia Meisol.We look at the issues of "workplace housework" - tasks like organising office Christmas parties, sorting the secret santa gifts, decorating the communal spaces - with economist Lise Vasterlund and comedian Cally Beaton.Could a woman win the BBC's annual Sports Personality Of The Year award later today? Now in it's 70th year, we talk to Lady Mary Peters who won the gong in 1972 – the same year she won gold in the pentathlon at the Munich Olympics.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Neva Missirian

23-year-old Gracie Spinks was killed by a man who she had reported to the police for stalking her. The inquest into her death reported several failures by Derbyshire Police in how her case was handled. Now, her parents, Richard Spinks and Alison Ward, are campaigning for Gracie’s Law, which would ensure better training for police officers around stalking, and the appointment of independent stalking advocates. They join Emma Barnett to discuss Gracie and the changes they want to be made in her memory.‘There is an expectation that women like me – without children - will pick up the slack so the working mums can have time off with their families’. Those are the words of Sam Walsh who has worked every Boxing Day for the last 20 years. She decided to quit her retail job in October because she resented having to work over the Christmas period. Sam, who runs The Non Mum Network Facebook group and website, says working parents shouldn’t be given priority. Today is the beginning of the Jimmy Lai trial in Hong Kong - a national security case against the media mogul and pro-democracy activist who has been accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces. Outside the court is the familiar face of a woman affectionately known as 'Grandma Wong', real name Alexandra. Cindy Yu, Assistant Editor of The Spectator, tells us more about her.The damage being done to girls’ education in Afghanistan has been well documented, but new research suggests the Taliban is causing ‘irreversible damage’ to boys’ education too. Research carried out by Human Rights Watch found that female teachers have been replaced by men with no qualifications, and that boys are subject to brutal punishment. Emma speaks to Sahar Fetrat, the author of the report.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Emma Pearce

Imelda Staunton has played Queen Elizabeth II for the last two series of television drama The Crown. As the final episodes are released this week, she joins us to discuss playing the monarch, and what it’s been like to take on this role since Her Majesty died.How could people step in safely if they see a woman being harassed in public? Former police officer Graham Goulden and criminologist Molly Ackhurst tell us how bystanders can protect themselves while helping others.Soul singer Mica Paris will headline an evening of gospel music on Sky Arts, where she’ll be joined by 10 gospel singers and a four-piece band to perform Christmas songs. She gives us a taste of what to expect on A Gospel Christmas.It's been a year and a half since Roe vs Wade was overturned in the United States, ending the constitutional nationwide right to abortion for millions of women. It remains an issue that divides opinion. The British writer Nazrin Choudhury has directed a short film, Red White and Blue, which follows the character Rachel Johnson, played by Brittany Snow, who is forced to cross state lines in search of an abortion. Should we celebrate quitting a job? When Hannah Witton decided to stop making her successful YouTube and podcast series, Doing It, her friends threw her a surprise quitting ceremony. Hannah tells us whether this party helped, alongside the career coach Soma Ghosh with her advice for anyone thinking of quitting.The bestselling author Louise Doughty joins us to discuss a new ITVX drama based on her novel: Platform 7. She tells us how she has turned male-heavy police procedurals on their head – and why she thinks all middle-aged women long to go on the run.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lucy Wai Editor: Sarah Crawley

The government is today unveiling the first ever national Kinship Care strategy, aiming to bring more awareness and more money to family members looking after children that aren’t theirs. Kinship care is when a child lives full time, or most of the time, with a relative, be it grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, or someone in the wider family network, because their own parents can’t care for them. Anita talks to David Johnston, the Under Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing at the Department of Education about the new strategy.Shane MacGowan, the legendary songwriter and frontman with The Pogues, died on 30th November. As the classic Christmas anthem Fairy Tale of New York reaches number one in Ireland, Anita speaks to his widow, Victoria Mary Clarke about their life together, his music, his addictions and his legacy. It has been a year and a half since Roe vs Wade was overturned in the United States, ending the constitutional nationwide right to abortion for millions of women. It remains an issue that divides opinion. Anita talks to the British writer Nazrin Choudhury, the director of a new short film on the subject; 'Red White and Blue,' follows the character Rachel Johnson, a single mother in a precarious financial position, who is forced to cross state lines from Arkansas in search of an abortion. Musician Lora Logic was the woman behind the iconic saxophone that was a part of the British Punk-Rock band X-Ray Spex. After almost 30 years, the band are re-releasing their second album, Conscious Consumer. Lora joins Anita to talk about the album, what she’s up to now and what lead singer Poly Styrene would have thought of the re-release.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Sue Maillot

The National Crime Agency has warned parents that Facebook and Instagram are now a danger to children. That’s after Meta, the parent company of the social media sites, made the decision to introduce encrypted messaging. The BBC’s Technology Editor Zoe Kleinman and online safety expert John Carr join Emma Barnett to discuss. Bafta award-winning actor Sheridan Smith has said that she regrets the tattoos she’s got and would never get another one done. It’s a situation that a lot of people find themselves in. Letitia Mortimer, a London-based tattoo artist, talks to Emma about seeing plenty of people wanting to get their tattoos covered or removed over the years. Soul singer Mica Paris will headline an evening of gospel music on television, where she’ll be joined by 10 gospel singers and a dynamic four-piece band to perform moving versions of various Christmas songs. She joins Emma live in the studio to give us a taste of what to expect on A Gospel Christmas and her new album.Two referenda to change Ireland’s constitution regarding gender and family are to be held on International Women’s Day next year. The amendments would broaden the definition of family beyond marriage in the constitution, and there would be reference to carers to recognise all those who provide care. Commentator Laura Perrins and academic and activist Ailbhe Smyth join Emma to discuss why the suggestions are potentially contentious. Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lottie Garton

How could people step in safely if they see a woman being harassed in public? Former police officer Graham Goulden and criminologist Molly Ackhurst tell Emma Barnett how bystanders can protect themselves while helping others.Imelda Staunton has played Queen Elizabeth II for the last two series of television drama The Crown. She joined us before she started the role, in 2021, to talk about how she was approaching the role, and why it was important to her. She joins Emma Barnett again now that it’s coming to an end – the final episodes of The Crown are released on Netflix this week.Should we celebrate quitting a job? We’ve got divorce parties - how about a quitting party? When award-winning sex educator and author, Hannah Witton decided to stop making her successful YouTube and podcast series, Doing It, her friends and colleagues threw her a surprise quitting ceremony. There was cake, and even a card saying Bye, Bye Don't Come Back. Hannah tells Emma whether this party helped, alongside career coach, and host of the Career Happiness podcast, Soma Ghosh, with her advice for anyone thinking of quitting.There has been a significant increase in the number of women being investigated by police after a suspected abortion, according to a senior consultant gynaecologist, with some women facing high-profile court cases, and other instances where children have been removed from the mother. Abortion is a criminal offence in England and Wales unless it meets strict criteria. Co-chairman of the British Society of Abortion Care Providers Dr Jonathan Lord, who has raised these concerns, joins Emma.Producer: Hannah Sander Presenter: Emma Barnett

Leading scientists are calling for a change in the law to help IVF patients donate unused embryos to biomedical research after a collapse in donations over the past 15 years. Emma Barnett talks to Professor of Reproductive Physiology at Cambridge University Kathy Niakan and Clare Ettinghausen from the UK's fertility regulator, the HFEA.The new play Glacier is a dark and poignant festive comedy. It follows three women who meet while wild swimming in their local lake one Christmas. They form an unofficial tradition, meeting each year to go for a swim and escape. Escape their responsibilities, life’s stresses, and maybe most of all – their families. We hear from playwright, comedian and podcaster Alison Spittle, and actor Sophie Steer, who stars in the show.We take another look at the world of gymnastics following on from last year's damning Whyte review with labelled the British Gymanstics as "inept and dysfunctional". Since that time, not one complaint of abuse has been upheld by British Gymnastics’ Independent Complaints Process – with every single case over the past three years collapsing. We talk to Claire Heafford from Gymnasts 4 Change about their campaign for a new procedures. As two teaching unions call for a pause in Ofsted inspections following the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, we talk to Paul Whiteman, the General Secretary of the teaching union the National Association of Head Teachers.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Tim Heffer

Israel has accused the United Nations of moving too slowly to respond to accounts that Hamas carried out widespread sexual violence against women in the October 7th brutal attack on Israel. Christina Lamb, Chief Foreign Correspondent for the Sunday Times, has brought the details of this part of the attacks to light joins Emma Barnett.Mandy Abramson runs a bridal shop in Skipton in North Yorkshire. For two years now she’s run a special week in December where she invites women from all walks of life to try on a wedding dress even if they have no plans to marry. She joins Emma to explain why she wants to give everyone a chance to try on their dream dress. When Louise Beevers found a lump in her breast during pregnancy, she was told by her GP that it was hormone related. Four months later she was diagnosed with Grade 3 breast cancer, and despite undergoing treatment the cancer is now incurable. Louise joins Emma alongside the Chief Medical Officer from Macmillan Cancer Support Professor Richard Simcock to discuss why greater awareness about cancer in pregnancy is needed.Bestselling author of Apple Tree Yard, Louise Doughty, on a new ITVX drama based on her novel: Platform 7. She tells Emma Barnett how she has turned male-heavy police procedurals and spy thrillers on their head – and why she thinks all middle-aged women long to go on the run.Emma talks to two women about their hope for peace in Israel. Amira Mohammed is a Palestinian woman who works with young leaders across the Middle East and North Africa; and Danielle Cumpton is a 32-year-old from Israel who works for an organisation that promotes political partnership between Jews and Arabs within IsraelPresenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Emma Pearce

An Ofsted inspection "contributed" to the death of head teacher Ruth Perry. That’s the conclusion of senior coroner Heidi Connor. This is the first time Ofsted has been listed as a contributing factor in the death of a head teacher. Ruth Perry had been head of Caversham Primary School in Berkshire for 13 years when she took her own life in January, ahead of an inspection report being made public which had downgraded the school from Outstanding to Inadequate, based on safeguarding concerns. Her death ignited a national debate about the mental health of school leaders and the pressure they are under in terms of inspections. Anita Rani speaks to Ruth Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters. Born and raised in Deptford, south east London, Kwesia didn’t grow up with a lot of nature around her. That’s until she went on a life-changing trip to the Amazon. She’s since created her YouTube channel, City Girl in Nature, to guide other city dwellers into the great outdoors. She speaks to Krupa Padhy about her platform, nature activism work, and winning Best New Voice at the Audio Production Awards for her podcast Get Birding. Lina Mookerjee had been married to her husband Richard for more than 15 years when he lost both his sight and hearing. Lina is now as much a carer to Richard as she is a wife. Lina and Richard share their story and discuss what they describe as the ‘invisible’ work of carers. Research suggests that the average Briton spends £300 on Christmas gifts. One woman who is bucking this trend is the writer and journalist Nell Frizzell, who says that her family Christmases have improved since they stopped buying one another gifts. Krupa hears from Nell and Ellie Gibson, comedian and one half of the Scummy Mummies, who is a big fan of gifting every festive season.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

An Ofsted inspection "contributed" to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. That’s the conclusion of senior coroner Heidi Connor. This is the first time Ofsted has been listed as a contributing factor in the death of a head teacher. Ofsted are yet to comment on the verdict. Ruth Perry had been head of Caversham Primary School in Berkshire for 13 years when she took her own life in January, ahead of an inspection report being made public which had downgraded the school from Outstanding to Inadequate, based on safeguarding concerns. The school was regraded this summer to Good. Her death ignited a national debate about the mental health of school leaders and the pressure they are under in terms of inspections. Anita is joined by Ruth Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters.America Ferrera is an award-winning actress, a director, producer and activist. She shot to stardom with her roles in Ugly Betty and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, but you'll most recently have seen her playing Gloria, an assistant to the chief executive of Mattel, in the blockbuster Barbie film, who delivers a powerful monologue on the double standards of being a woman. America joins Anita to talk about how she didn't "set out to be a role model, or to break barriers, or to have a career about defying the norm.” Food has revolved around women for centuries. History of food can provide us with a lens through which we can discover untold stories of women: their joys, struggles and ever-changing roles in society. Pen Vogler, author of “Stuffed," explores such themes in her new book and examines the history and culture of British food through political, social and global upheavals. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Duncan Hannant