Woman's Hour

A new study has suggested that women who take hormone replacement therapy to relieve their menopause symptoms may increase their risk of dementia. Scientists at Copenhagen University found that women who had taken HRT were 24 per cent more likely to get dementia or Alzheimer’s disease than women of the same age and background who did not use the treatment. But other researchers have said that the cognitive declines may not have been due to treatment. Joining Hayley are Professor Pauline Maki from the University of Illinois at Chicago who has conducted research on menopause and Dr Nelsan Pourhadi from the Danish Dementia Research Centre, the lead researcher on the study.This weekend, World Wrestling Entertainment is coming to the UK. Among the professional wrestlers performing at the 02 in London will be the current Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. She has had a meteoric rise to the top of WWE and joins Hayley to talk about her journey to becoming champion, as well as what it’s like to be a woman in such a masculine world. Baroness Margaret McDonagh, the first female general secretary of the Labour Party, has died aged 61. Margaret McDonagh became a key figure in the Labour party under Sir Tony Blair's leadership, and played a central role in the 1997 and 2001 Labour general election victories. Glioblastoma, a type of brain tumour caused her death. Her sister Siobhain believes more research is needed into the causes and treatment of glioblastoma. Next week is the start of Wimbledon. Last week marked the 50th Anniversary of the creation of the Women's Tennis Association, also known as the WTA. It was established by Billie Jean King in 1973, after a meeting in London of 60 of the world's best female tennis players at the time. Krupa Padhy recently spoke to Sue Barker, who has both played at Wimbledon and been the presenter of BBC TV coverage for three decades, before stepping down last year. Krupa asked Sue if she thinks women's tennis, driven by Billie Jean King, has improved since she herself was playing in the 1970s and 1980s.From Liz Hurley’s iconic safety pin dress, to Audrey Hepburn’s iconic ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ gown, the Little Black Dress has taken many forms over the years. The National Museum of Scotland opens an exhibition this weekend called ‘Beyond the Little Black Dress’ which will explore the evolution of the LBD and its relationship with female liberation since it came on the scene almost 100 years ago. Hayley is joined by the exhibit’s curator, Georgina Ripley to find out more. Presenter: Hayley Hassall Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Bob Nettles

On Monday, the TV journalist Daisy Goodwin accused the Tory mayoral candidate Daniel Korski of groping her breast during a meeting at No 10 in 2013. He has denied the allegation "in the strongest possible terms". She has now contacted the Cabinet Office asking to make a formal complaint. Nuala speaks to the assistant editor of The Spectator, Isabel Hardman for her take on the situation. Ensuring fairness in sport is a much debated topic, most recently following World Athletics and British Cycling joining swimming, triathlon and rugby in banning transgender women from competing in the women's category. Someone who has been campaigning on this issue is Sharron Davies, an Olympic silver medallist and swimmer who competed in many international championships for Great Britain. Nuala speaks to Sharron about her new book Unfair Play: The Battle For Women's Sport.Doctors are calling for better support and care for the thousands of women whose lives are devastated by anal incontinence after childbirth. New research by the University of Warwick's Medical School reveals more than 20% of women who give birth vaginally experience this, which can devastate their personal and professional lives. The team discovered missed opportunities in getting a diagnosis, no clear pathway to get treatment and a lack of awareness amongst not only healthcare professionals but also mothers themselves who often keep it secret. We hear from associate professor at the University of Warwick's Medical School, and GP, Dr Sarah Hillman, who led the research, and Anna Clements who experienced severe injuries during the birth of her 3rd child, and has anal incontinence. She now works for the MASIC Foundation which supports women who are injured having their babies.Rosamund Pike made her breakthrough film role as a Bond girl in Die Another Day and followed that with Pride & Prejudice, Made in Dagenham, Jack Reacher and A Private War to name just a few. She was Oscar-nominated for Gone Girl, won a Golden Globe for I Care a Lot and an Emmy for State of the Union. Recently she’s won an award for Best Female Narrator for her narration of the first book in the Wheel of Time novels by Robert Jordan. She joins Nuala to discuss her current role of Connie , a woman who fakes her own death in a BBC audio adaptation of the book People Who Knew Me.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

The actress Archie Panjabi made her film debut in East is East and then went on to play Pinky in Bend it Like Beckham. She won the Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in “The Good Wife”. She joins Nuala to discuss her latest role in Hijack, a thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane in real time across seven hours and seven episodes. The English Cricket Board has been told to secure equal pay for its male and female cricketers by 2030 as part of the report by The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC). The report also found that racism, sexism and class-based discrimination are widespread and deep-rooted within the game. Sports commentator and journalist Georgie Heath joins Nuala. Do you breakdown your ‘to do’ list into hours and minutes? What if you broke down your day into how much energy you had instead? For years people with medical conditions like M.E and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have used Energy Management Techniques. Could we learn a thing or two by using the techniques, even if we don’t have extreme fatigue? Nuala talks to Lauren Walker, an Occupational Therapist and Charlie Thorne, who was a city lawyer before she became burnt out. In 1911 Emily Wilding Davison hid in Parliament so she would appear on the census as having been there. But far before her, there were women working within Parliament who held much more power and influence than you might expect. Mari Takayanagi is a parliamentary archivist, and has written a book alongside Elizabeth Hallam-Smith that tells the stories of these unknown working women, from cleaners to housekeepers to typists. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lucinda Montefiore Studio Manager: Sue Maillot

The all-female motor racing championship, the W Series, has goneinto administration. The series was founded in 2019 in response to the lack of female representation at the highest levels of the sport - Formula 1 has not had a female driver compete in a race since 1976. The W Series saw three seasons of racing, where it showcased the talents of racers such as three time champion Jamie Chadwick, Alice Powell and Sarah Moore. Rebecca Clancy, motor racing corrrespondent at the Times and Sunday Times explains more. Woman's Hour broadcast live from Glastonbury for the first time on Friday. Ahead of their performance on The Other Stage Anita interviewed The Nova Twins. A feminist band who have destroyed the narrative about who gets to make rock music. Amy Love and Georgia South discuss their love of Glasto, their unique bond and holding the music industry to account.In The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue Rachel is looking back at herself in Cork in Ireland in 2010. She’s in her early 20’s, at University, in love with her professor, working in a bookshop, trying to work out who she is and then she meets her soulmate. But nothing is at it seems and life gets very messy indeed. Caroline joins Krupa to talk about writing sex, gay best friends and what happens when messing about in your 20’s gets very serious indeed.Adored by millions for their wholesome image, BBC investigative journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou talks about her new Radio 4 Intrigue podcast series Burning Sun, which explores the sex scandals of 2019 in Korea that brought down some of the world’s biggest K-pop Stars. She also delves into the world of spy cams and talks about the misogny that some believe is causing a crisis in the country. The UK’s wealth management industry has traditionally been male-dominated, with only 16% of financial advisers being women, and only 5% of advisers having a differentiated strategy for attracting and retaining female clients. Now financial experts are saying that this industry needs to change to better meet the needs of a growing sector of wealthy women. Krupa speaks to Tamara Gillan, who has created a network called WealthiHer, which aims to help wealthy women take control of their financial futures and advise wealth managers on how to better tailor their services women, and to Sarah Roughsedge at Eva Wealth Management for Women. Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Dianne McGregor

On Thursday, the UK celebrated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush which made the 5,000 mile journey from the Caribbean to England in 1948. The passengers were mainly made up of ex-servicemen along with over 200 bold, pioneering women. Veteran nurse and founder of the Windrush Cymru Elders, Roma Taylor, former nurse Allyson Williams and journalist Amina Taylor join Nuala to discuss their experiences of leaving home to help rebuild Britain after WWII.As visitors walk through the doors of the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery in London, they will see 45 hand-drawn portraits of women by British artist Tracey Emin, that have been cast in bronze. They are said to represent every woman. Tracey speaks to Krupa Padhy about her creative process and what she hopes people will take away from the images.Professor Irene Tracey is only the second ever female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. In the last few weeks she has had to deal with several angry protests in Oxford over the appearance of Kathleen Stock at the Oxford Union. She allowed the talk to go ahead, saying, ‘we have to defend free speech’. Professor Tracey joins Nuala to talk about the battle over free speech, as well as what it’s like being a woman in the world of academia.Comedian Bridget Christie’s stand-up has been credited with putting the funny in feminism. You might know her from Taskmaster or Ghosts. Now she’s created and stars in a comedy drama called The Change, which starts this week on Channel 4. She plays Linda, a woman who turns 50, discovers she’s menopausal and abandons her family to go off and find herself in the Forest of Dean. Bridget joins Nuala in studio.Nuala McGovern talks to Rosa Abraham & Rituparna Chakraborty about the fact that nearly half of the population in India is female, but the number of working women has fallen to record lows.For the first time ever, Woman's Hour broadcast live from Glastonbury. Four time Grammy nominee and folk legend Allison Russell joined Anita live for a very special performance. Alongside being a singer and songwriter Allison is a poet, an activist and a multi-instrumentalist. Fresh from performing alongside the one and only Joni Mitchell earlier this month she is at Glastonbury, performing on The Acoustic Stage.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Hanna Ward Studio Engineer: Bob Nettles

For Woman's Hour's first ever live broadcast from Worthy Farm Anita is joined by BBC 6 Music's Jamz Supernova. Jamz gives Anita her top tips and talks us through the women she's most excited to see perform this year. Emily Eavis has been co-organising Glastonbury since 1999, working alongside her father and founder of the festival, Michael Eavis. Over the years, she's booked some of the biggest names in music, from Beyonce and Adele to the Rolling Stones. Emily has been committed to making the festival more sustainable, banning single-use plastics in 2019 and she's been vocal about improving gender equality within the live music industry. So how does she feel about this year’s line-up of all-male headliners? Four time Grammy nominee and folk legend Allison Russell joins Anita live for a very special performance. Alongside being a singer and songwriter Allison is a poet, an activist and a multi-instrumentalist. Fresh from performing alongside the one and only Joni Mitchell earlier this month she is at Glastonbury, performing on The Acoustic Stage.There are no female headliners at Glasto this year, what does this mean for women in the music industry? Anita is joined by a top panel including Vick Bain who has been in the business for over 25 years and founded The F List – a directory of female musicians, the Welsh songwriter and producer The Anchoress and 6 Music DJ and founder of Future Bounce record label Jamz Supernova. Rebecca, Diana and Kristine invited Anita to their camp site. The three friends, who are festival lovers and Woman’s Hour listeners, share their Glasto memories and tell us why it’s such a magical place. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Emma Pearce

As visitors walk through the doors of the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery in London, they will see 45 hand-drawn portraits of women by British artist Tracey Emin, that have been cast in bronze. They are said to represent every woman. Tracey speaks to Krupa Padhy about her creative process and what she hopes people will take away from the images. Society sets us up to fail, according to the academic Dr Faiza Shaheen. Dr Shaheen studied at Oxford University, became a leading statistician, is standing for election as the Labour party candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green and has written a book ‘Know Your Place’. Some might describe Shaheen’s career as a personal success, evidence of working-class mobility, that anyone can do anything, but Shaheen thinks otherwise. She talks to Krupa about inequality in the UK.Stories have emerged in the French media of a man from Provence who allegedly drugged his unsuspecting wife every night so that scores of men could rape her. We haven't independently verified the story but French newspaper Le Monde is reporting that more than 50 men have been charged. Krupa is joined by Anglo-French journalist Benedicte Paviot to tell us more.In the final part of Woman's Hour series about women in India, Krupa looks at the rise of women skateboarders. Since its recent inclusion in the Olympic Games, skateboarding is becoming increasingly popular across the country. Atita Verghese is regarded as one of the pioneers of women’s skateboarding in India. She started skating aged 19, when she was the only woman in the skatepark. In 2015, she founded the Skate Girl India project and talks to Krupa about the events she is organising across India to empower girls.A new exhibition at the V&A celebrates the creative power and cultural significance of the ‘diva’. With a mixture of fashion, photography, design, costume and music DIVA will celebrates the personal stories and resilience of some of the best-known divas; Marilyn Monroe, Tina Turner, Cher and Rihanna. Kate Bailey, curator of DIVA speaks to Krupa Padhy about what people can expect from the exhibition and why the concept of a diva still matters in our culture.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Studio manager: Duncan Hannant

Nuala speaks to a woman who discovered by chance that her fiancé was secretly filming her naked in the home they shared. Victoria, not her real name, reported him to the police and he later pleaded guilty and was convicted on voyeurism charges. Last month she also won £97,000 in compensation, some of which she is aiming to put towards trying to remove the images he made of her without her consent from the internet. According to data gathered from a global network of health scientists, five-year-olds in the UK are on average up to seven centimetres shorter than their peers in other wealthy nations. To discuss the contributing factors Nuala is joined by Anna Taylor, Executive Director of nutrition charity, The Food Foundation and also by Henry Dimbleby the former government food adviser who's also written a book "Ravenous" about our consumption of ultra processed food. In India, the majority of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in the later stages and between 2019 and 2021 less than 1% of women had undergone screening. But a team of blind and partially sighted women are trying to change this by training to become Medical Tactile Examiners where they use their hands to help detect the cancer at its earliest stage. Nuala is joined by Shalini Khanna, Director of The National Association of the Blind India Centre for Blind Women and Leena Chagla, President of the Association of Breast Surgery to discuss.Professor Irene Tracey is only the second ever female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. In the last few weeks she has had to deal with several angry protests in Oxford over the appearance of Kathleen Stock at the Oxford Union. She allowed the talk to go ahead, saying, ‘we have to defend free speech’. Professor Tracey joins Nuala to talk about the battle over free speech, as well as what it’s like being a woman in the world of academia. Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

Nuala McGovern talks to Rosa Abraham & Rituparna Chakraborty about the fact that nearly half of the population in India is female, but the number of working women has fallen to record lows.We hear how new research shows napping is good for us and helps our brain with Dr Ivana Rosenzweig and Dr Maja Schaedel.The Windrush scandal began to surface in 2017 after it emerged that hundreds of Commonwealth citizens, many of whom were from the Windrush generation, had been wrongly detained, deported and denied access to healthcare and work. Most had no idea they had been silently affected by changing legislation. Five years after government apologised we talk to Human rights lawyer, Jacqueline McKenzie and victim of the scandal and advocate Glenda Caesars.Nalette Tucker is one of our Grassroots Power Listers. She set up Sunnah Sports, which aims to get everyone involved in sport in a safe and accessible way, including those like Muslim women and girls who often face barriers to joining in with sport normally. She joins Nuala to talk about how it felt to be on the list, and why she says sport is the reason she’s still here today. And we discuss whether the police, prosecutors and lawyers should have access to the therapy records of rape and sexual assault victims. We hear from Nogah Ofer from the Centre for Women’s Justice and the testimony of one woman’s experience of the system.Presenter: Nuala McGovern. Producer:Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Steve Greenwood

Comedian Bridget Christie’s stand-up has been credited with putting the funny in feminism. You might know her from Taskmaster or Ghosts. Now she’s created and stars in a comedy drama called The Change, which starts this week on Channel 4. She plays Linda, a woman who turns 50, discovers she’s menopausal and abandons her family to go off and find herself in the Forest of Dean. Bridget joins Nuala in studio.On Thursday, the UK will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush which made the 5,000 mile journey from the Caribbean to England in 1948. The passengers were mainly made up of ex-servicemen along with over 200 bold, pioneering women. Veteran nurse and founder of the Windrush Cymru Elders, Roma Taylor, former nurse Allyson Williams and journalist Amina Taylor join Nuala to discuss their experiences of leaving home to help rebuild Britain after WWII.Even if you aren’t a fan of the Archers you're probably familiar with the Helen and Rob storyline that featured coercive control and domestic violence back in 2016. Rob, the perpetrator, eventually got his comeuppance and was banished to the US. Now nearly seven years later Rob has returned. Joining Nuala to talk about the latest twists and turns is the actor who plays Helen, Louiza Patikas.

Thousands of people gathered together on Thursday night to attend a vigil for those killed in the Nottingham attacks. The mothers of the murdered teenagers Grace O’Malley Kumar and Barnaby Webber both paid tribute to their children. Clare speaks to another mother who lost her child to murder, Lisa Squire.Dr Laura Flexer, GP, emailed Woman’s Hour to ask the programme to talk about bone health, especially that of teenage girls with anorexia. Should young women with eating disorders be given oestrogen to boost bone density? Dr Flexer joins Nuala to talk about her research, along with Professor Sandeep Ranote, an expert clinical media spokesperson for the eating disorders charity BEAT and a consultant paediatric psychiatrist for eating disorders in the NHS.Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan's first female architect, talks to Nuala about being awarded the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture 2023, her work in disaster zones and helping the poorest communities impacted by climate change.The actor Cate Blanchett joins Clare to celebrate the work and life of Glenda Jackson, actor and MP who died this week.Jo Tongue is a sports agent who represents some of the best known sporting and broadcasting talent in the UK, including England footballer Leah Williamson. She is vocal in her push for parity of the profile and pay for women in sport - both on the pitch and in the media. For this reason, Jo earned herself a place on the Woman’s Hour Women in Sport Power List earlier this year. She joins Nuala to tell her about her career to date in a male dominated industry.A growing number of people are experiencing what psychiatrists have labelled eco-anxiety or eco-grief, an overwhelming sense of hopeless and doom due to the current climate situation. So what exactly is the impact on people and how can we turn the tables and help people to feel more hopeful about the environment? Krupa is joined by climate scientist turned campaigner Jen Newall from the Climate Majority Project, and Judy Ling Wong CBE, President of the Black Environment Network.Susanna Hoffs is a solo artist and a founding member of the Bangles. She joins Nuala to discuss her career and her first novel – This Bird Has Flown – described as "part British romcom, part Jane Eyre” – which gives a glimpse inside the music business.Presenter: Clare McDonell Producer: Lottie Garton

The actor Cate Blanchett celebrates the work and life of Glenda Jackson, who died this week. The mothers of Grace O'Malley Kumar and Barnaby Webber spoke about their loved ones at a public vigil in Nottingham. Lisa Squire's daughter Libby was murdered as she walked home from a night out. Did choosing to go public and share her emotions and pain with a wider audience help her deal with her grief?For the first time four British women have reached the quarter-finals of the same WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Tour event. Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage have joined Heather Watson in the women's last eight in the Nottingham Open. Tennis reporter Karthi Gnanasegaram explains the significance. Girlguiding has announced the closures of British Guiding Overseas and all five of its Activity Centres. Guide leader Aimmee Scholfield and Kirsty Patterson, also a leader and spokesperson for the campaign against the moves, explain why they are holding an overnight protest vigil and singalong outside Girlguiding UK headquarters.The radio presenter and broadcaster Aasmah Mir was a teenage introvert and loner. She talks about her memoir ‘A Pebble in the Throat’, which tells the story of her childhood, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s in Glasgow, and traces in parallel the story of her mother’s own life as a young woman In Pakistan in the 1950s before she moved to Scotland. Does the key to our happiness lie in ‘decluttering’ our love life? Inspired by Japanese organising expert Marie Kondo, journalist Lucy Holden has been deleting photos, throwing away clothes and unfollowing social media accounts of her ex-partners. Lucy along with comedian Cally Beaton, a self-proclaimed ‘joyous midlife dater’, discuss the pros and cons of a love life spring clean. Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Dianne McGregor

Scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells that sidestep the need for eggs or sperm. The news was presented yesterday at the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s annual meeting and the full details will be published at a later date. This could have a real impact on understanding IVF and early miscarriages. Krupa speaks to the Guardian journalist who broke the story, Hannah Devlin and Dr Helen O'Neill a lecturer and molecular geneticist at the Institute for Women’s Health at University College London.A growing number of people are experiencing what psychiatrists have labelled eco-anxiety or eco-grief, an overwhelming sense of hopeless and doom due to the current climate situation. So what exactly is the impact on people and how can we turn the tables and help people to feel more hopeful about the environment? Krupa is joined by climate scientist turned campaigner Jen Newall from the Climate Majority Project, and Judy Ling Wong CBE, President of the Black Environment Network. Lynzy Billing, an Afghan-Pakistani journalist has been investigating how her family were killed in Afghanistan's Civil War. She has made an animated short film ‘The Night Doctrine’ about her journey to discover the truth of what happened when she was just two years old. The film has had its debut at this year's Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. She joins Krupa to share her story.Suzie Fletcher, has been the BBC's The Repair Shop's resident leatherworker and master saddler since 2017. She has now released her memoir 'The Sun Over The Mountains' which explores her career, life in America, as well as giving an honest and intimate account of her marriage with her late husband. Suzie joins Krupa to discuss her abusive relationship.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Andrew Garrett

NHS England is going to open 10 new clinics this year to deal with childhood obesity. The clinics will provide "intensive" support to thousands of children with severe obesity and their families aged between two and 18. We know that mothers are on the frontline with managing doctors' appointment and family's health issues. So are these clinics the answer? Nuala speaks to Tam Fry, the Chair of the National Obesity Forum.Jo Tongue is a sports agent who represents some of the best known sporting and broadcasting talent in the UK, including England footballer Leah Williamson. She is vocal in her push for parity of the profile and pay for women in sport - both on the pitch and in the media. For this reason, Jo earned herself a place on the Woman’s Hour Women in Sport Power List earlier this year. She joins Nuala to tell her about her career to date in a male dominated industry.With automation threatening swathes of jobs, there’s growing momentum behind the idea of a universal basic income (UBI): an unconditional payment from the state regardless of any other income. For those unable to perform or find paid work, it would provide enough to live on. For those who can work, it would allow an escape from the ‘poverty trap’, where the loss of welfare benefits makes low-paid work uneconomic. A think tank called Autonomy is planning to pilot a UBI scheme, giving a flat payment of £1600 a month to participants. Nuala McGovern speaks to Cleo Goodman from Autonomy and also Eir Nolsoe, Senior Economics Reporter at the Daily Telegraph.Investigative journalist Sian Norris believes that anti-abortion movements across the world are not so much rooted in religious belief, but in far right extremism, white male supremacy and fascism. She joins Nuala to explain why she has come to that conclusion, and written a book called Bodies Under Siege – How the far right attack on reproductive rights went global. Presented by Nuala McGovern Produced by Lucy Wai Edited by Sarah Crawley

Is current abortion legislation fit for purpose? It's a question debated this morning following the conviction and sentencing of Carla Foster for inducing an abortion outside the legal time limit using pills at home. Nuala is joined by barrister, Harriet Johnson and Ruth Rawlings from CBR UK, Centre for Bioethical Reform which seeks to challenge views on abortion. Dr Laura Flexer, a GP, emailed Woman’s Hour to ask the programme to talk about bone health, especially that of teenage girls with anorexia. Should young women with eating disorders be given oestrogen to boost bone density? Dr Flexer joins Nuala to talk about her research, along with Professor Sandeep Ranote, an expert clinical media spokesperson for the eating disorders charity BEAT and a consultant paediatric psychiatrist for eating disorders in the NHS. Last Friday climate activist Greta Thunberg took to twitter to mark her final school strike for climate. We wanted to take this opportunity to look back at the impact of Greta’s work so far and cast forward to the future. Guardian climate journalist Fiona Harvey and Climate activist Mikaela Loach join Nuala. Susanna Hoffs is a solo artist and a founding member of the Bangles. Blending ’60s garage rock, harmonies, and jangly guitars, they became a seminal band of the 1980s with a string of hits including ‘Manic Monday’ , ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’ and ‘Eternal Flame.’ She’s since written and recorded for and appeared in the Austin Powers movies. She joins Nuala to discuss her career and her first novel – This Bird Has Flown – described as "part British romcom, part Jane Eyre” – which gives a glimpse inside the music business.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lucinda Montefiore Studio Manager: Steve Greenwood

The Scout Association is not doing enough to protect and safeguard children from child abuse, that’s according to two young women who have set up a website which launches tomorrow (Tuesday) asking for people to share their own testimonies of abuse. They are also calling on the Government as well as the Scout Association to do more. On Tuesday BBC Radio 4’s File on Four investigates the Scouts handling of such cases. Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan's first female architect, talks to Nuala on being awarded the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture 2023, her work in disaster zones and helping the poorest communities impacted by climate change.The last in our series Under Pressure about how couples cope when their relationship comes under great strain. An American study from 2010 found that couples who had experienced stillbirth were at a 40% greater risk of their relationship ending. Jo Morris went to meet Mustafa and Hawra who told their story.Presented by Nuala McGovern Reporter Jo Morris Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

Facebook has removed an advert for a sanitary towel product because it referenced the words Vagina, Vulva and Clitoris. It's the latest in a long line of period ads that have caused a stir. So what is and isn't appropriate when it comes to period adverts? Chella Quint, the founder of Period Positive, a menstruation education advisor and author and Alice Enders, Director of Research at Enders Analysis discuss. The rescue efforts are continuing in Ukraine after Tuesday's breach of the Kakhovka dam. Thirty communities along the Dnipro river have been flooded according to officials. Now the Red Cross has raised concerns that land-mines have been dislodged in the flooding. Kate Zhuzha is from Nova Kakhovka where the dam has collapsed and is the Founder of NGO Union of Help to Kherson in touch with people in the flooded areas. She tells us about the latest reports.Last month we looked at the experience of caring with authors Emily Kenway and Lynne Tillman. So many of you got in touch including academic Dinah Roe, a Reader in nineteenth-century literature, who with poet Sarah Hesketh, managing editor of Modern Poetry In Translation have been running a series of free online workshops, inspired by Christina Rossetti's writing, designed specifically for people with caring responsibilities. Dinah and Sarah discuss the power of writing poetry.Four-time Grammy award nominated singer Candi Staton has moved between several musical genres during of the course of her celebrated career – from soul, R&B, gospel and disco. She discusses her iconic tracks such as the multi-platinum “You Got the Love” and the singalong anthem “Young Hearts Run Free”. It has recently been remixed by UK producer Benji La Vida and has had more than 2.4 million streams on Spotify alone, and there are 60,000 TikTok reels of people doing a dance challenge to the song No single person can take credit for the huge boom in women’s football but if anyone can it’s the woman who placed second on the Woman’s Hour Power List, Baroness Sue Campbell. The Director of Women’s Football at the FA tells us about the Lionesses legacy, the upcoming World Cup and the future of the Women’s Super League. Since his diagnosis in 2019, rugby league star Rob Burrow has been battling Motor Neurone Disease, with wife Lindsey by his side. Lindsay tells us about her first marathon and has raised over £100,000 towards a specialist Motor Neurone Disease Centre to be built in his name. A new ITV documentary, Lindsey and Rob: Living with MND, follows Lindsey as she navigates marathon training alongside working and family life, whilst also exploring the wider impact of this disease. Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

This Wimbledon will be the first in 30 years without the familiar presence of Sue Barker. Last year she stepped down from hosting the tennis tournament that she herself played in. In Sue's memoir, Calling the Shots, she recounts first reaching number three in the world tennis rankings, then becoming one of the most familiar faces of BBC sports broadcasting. She joins Krupa to talk about the highs and lows of both careers.Facebook has removed an advert for a sanitary towel product because it referenced the words vagina, vulva and clitoris. It's the latest in a long line of period ads that have caused a stir. So what is and isn't appropriate when it comes to period adverts? To discuss Krupa is joined by Chella Quint is the founder of Period Positive, a menstruation education advisor and author and Alice Enders who is Director of Research at Enders Analysis which follows TV and advertising trends.The Japanese government is currently debating a landmark bill to reform the country's sexual assault laws, but a highly prevalent form of predatory sexual behaviour has been omitted from the discussion. ‘Chikan' refers to a practice where women are sexually assaulted in public and in some cases videos are sold online. The BBC World Service's investigative unit, BBC Eye, has gone undercover for a year to unmask the men cashing in on sexual violence. Krupa is joined by BBC reporter Zhaoyin Feng.Would you fancy hurtling down a twisting mountain road at 80 miles an hour, balancing on a skateboard? That’s the favourite hobby of Jenny Schauerte, better known as Jenny Jungle. She and a group of other female skateboarders are featured in a new documentary, WoolfWomen: Now or Never about a trip to Turkey to try out a high altitude run that had never been skated before. Jenny, a former World No 2 in the sport, joins Krupa in studio.

The rescue efforts are continuing in Ukraine after Tuesday's breach of the Kakhovka dam. 30 communities along the Dnipro river have been flooded according to officials. Now the Red Cross has raised concerns that land-mines have been dislodged in the flooding. Kate Zhuzha is from Nova Kakhovka where the dam has collapsed and is the Founder of NGO Union of Help to Kherson in touch with people in the flooded areas. She talks to Krupa about the latest reports.Lindsey Burrow has been caring for her husband, the former rugby league star Rob Burrow, since he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2019. Last month, she took part in her first marathon, The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, and raised over £100,000 towards a new specialist Motor Neurone Disease Centre to be built in her husband’s name. She talks to Krupa about fitting in her training with family and work life and exploring the wider impact of MND in a documentary she filmed for ITV, Lindsey and Rob: Living with MND.Louise Redknapp is celebrating 30 years in music. She had 18 top 20 hits with the R&B band Eternal and during her solo career she sold more than 15 million records overall. Louise has just released a Greatest Hits album with 30 tracks, and a new single High Hopes. Having reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing and performed in Cabaret and the musical 9 to 5, she has now returned to the West End stage in Grease as The Teen Angel, the first time the role has been played by a woman in the UK. She joins Krupa Padhy to discuss her career.Bregje Hofstede, a writer, could not sleep for a decade. Driven to desperation, she started with the obvious interventions, then tried every trick and remedy she came across until at last she managed to re-frame her problem and found a solution that worked for her. She joins Krupa to discuss her book, In Search of Sleep, where she documents her experiences and tries to understand the science, psychology and culture of sleeplessness. Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Michael Millham

As a self confessed “silver spooner” who enjoyed a privileged upbringing Polly Toynbee talks to Nuala McGovern about her committed left wing "rabble rouser" ancestors and her own life long battle with the injustices of the British class system. In our series about narcissistic mothers we've heard a lot from daughters. Yesterday, a listener we are calling Bethany told her story. Her relationship with her daughter had been strained for a long time. In January she received a book in the post about how to spot and deal with a narcissistic mother, some passages were highlighted , and a letter. Today she picks up the story and explained how she felt as she opened the book and read the passages pointed out by her daughter. How does it feel to be labelled a narcissist and how can you move forward from there? Last month we looked at the experience of caring with authors Emily Kenway and Lynne Tillman. So many of you got in touch including academic Dinah Roe, a Reader in nineteeth-century literature, who with poet Sarah Hesketh, managing editor of Modern Poetry In Translation, have been running a series of free online workshops, inspired by Christina Rossetti's writing, designed specifically for people with caring responsibilities. Dinah and Sarah join Nuala in the studio.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

Four-time Grammy award nominated singer Candi Staton has moved between several musical genres during of the course of her celebrated career – from soul, R&B, gospel and disco. However, dance music has always been her main groove with iconic tracks such as the multi-platinum 'You Got the Love' and her classic anthem 'Young Hearts Run Free'. It has recently been remixed by UK producer Benji La Vida and has had more than 2.4 million streams on Spotify alone, and there are 60,000 TikTok reels of people doing a dance challenge to the song. Candi is in the UK to play the Kite Festival of Ideas and Music in Oxfordshire this Saturday. She joins Nuala to discuss her life and music.Ghana's health system is struggling due to their nurses being recruited by high-income countries, according to the head of the International Council of Nurses. So what is it that makes Ghanaian Nurses want to come and work in the UK? Angela is a nurse from Ghana who also works with the Ghanaian Diaspora Nursing Alliance – she joins Nuala to discuss.Eight primary schools in a town in Ireland have come together and decided together to ban smartphones, Nuala speaks to Principle Rachel Harper, the leader of the initiative and Parent and PTA member Laura Bourne, to find out why and how it's been received. In our series about narcissistic mothers we have heard from the daughters so far. Today, a listener we are calling Bethany tells her side of the story. Her relationship with her daughter had been strained for a long time. In January she received a book in the post about how to spot and deal with a narcissistic mother, some passages were highlighted, and a letter. Since then she has not seen her daughter or her grandchildren. How does it feel to be labelled a narcissist and how can you move forward from there?In 2016, at the age of 27, Emma Cline became very famous indeed when her first novel The Girls was published. Set in the summer of 69 in California 14 year old Evie is caught up in a Manson Family-like cult and the violence that follows. In her new novel ‘The Guest’ Alex is a young woman whose life could go either way. She exploits the men around her as they exploit her but what does she want and where will she end up?Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

The Sunday Times' Christina Lamb on the women involved in the war effort in Ukraine.We look at the trend of brides having their long hair cut into bobs before re-emerging with new hair at their wedding. Kyrelle Burton of Devon Wedding Hair, did her first mid-wedding chop for a bride last year.Molly Duane is the senior lawyer for the US-based Center for Reproductive Rights who are challenging Texas state law on abortion on behalf of more than a dozen women. The case is regarded as important because it is being seen as a nationwide model for abortion rights advocates to challenge new abortion laws that have rolled out since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade a year ago this month. Molly discusses the case with Nuala.No single person can take credit for the huge boom in women’s football but if any one can it’s the woman who placed second on the Woman’s Hour Power List, Baroness Sue Campbell. The Director of Women’s Football at the FA joins Nuala to discuss the Lionesses legacy, the upcoming World Cup and the future of the Women’s Super League. In 2020 Baroness Cumberlege authored a report into two drugs and a medical device that caused women or their babies harm. The device in question was vaginal mesh, and the report described how using mesh in surgery for prolapse and incontinence had resulted in serious adverse outcomes for women across the UK. One of the recommendations from that report is about to get underway, to measure the impact of surgery on women’s lives. Anita is joined by Georgina Jones, Professor of Health Psychology at Leeds Beckett University to find out more, and by Hannah Devlin, science correspondent for the Guardian.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

A woman who was stalked by her husband and then placed into witness protection with a new identity to escape him, says she feels like she's the one being punished. She's complained to the police about the way her case was handled after being told she failed an assessment and was no longer being supported by them in her new life. She spoke to our reporter Melanie Abbott, and says she felt completely cut adrift. We hear her story of how she had to uproot her two children and start a new life with a new job in a new town, while her husband is free to live wherever he likes. Academic Rachael Wheatley from the university of Derby tells Anita how she is training police to be better at dealing with stalkers and how victims need better support.A new report by the Trade Union Congress has highlighted a gender pension gap between what men and women are living on in retirement. The estimate it’s currently running at 40.5%, which is more than double the current gender pay gap. Nuala talks to Nikki Pound from the TUC and financial expert Sarah Pennells Consumer finance specialist at Royal London - pensions insurance provider about the issues facing women and possible solutions.You can’t read a tabloid newspaper without some form of cheating scandal filling the headlines. But what makes someone lie to the person they love? Nuala asks Natalie Lue, a boundaries and relationships coach about the big and little lies we tell in relationships.Writer and Podcaster Jackie Adedeji speaks to Nuala about her new Channel 4 documentary UNTOLD: My Big Boobs, a look into the impacts of having big boobs and the rise in breast reduction surgery. Sarah Ditum also joins to discuss the cultural trends of breasts through the years.Dr Edna Adan Ismail is known as the ‘Woman of Firsts’. She’s Somaliland’s first trained midwife, first female Minister of Foreign Affairs, and former First Lady. And now she has added another first to her title. She is this year’s winner of the Templeton Prize - making her the first black African woman to receive the honour. She has been awarded the £1.1 million prize for her contribution to women’s health. In 2002 she sold everything she owned to build The Edna Adan Hospital and University which has played a crucial role in cutting maternal mortality rates in Somaliland. She still lives and works within the hospital. Edna Adan Ismail explains what life is like for women in Somaliland, and what will she spend the prize money on.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Hanna Ward

Two female journalists in Iran are on trial for covering the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, the Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in custody last year sparking protests across the country and months of unrest and shocked the world. Mahsa was arrested and charged with not covering her hair properly and then reportedly so severely beaten she fell into a coma. Niloofar Homedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were among the first to report on her death; a photo taken by Niloofar for the Shargh daily newspaper showing Amini’s parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital where their daughter was lying in a coma drew international attention. While Mohammadi, traveled to report on Mahsa Amini’s funeral. Faranak Amidi, BBC Near East Women Affairs Correspondent discusses.Now Sex and the City fans have been celebrating some exciting, and rather unexpected, news - Variety magazine reports that Kim Cattrall will be reprising her role as Samantha Jones in the spin-off And Just Like That. She was noticeably absent from the first season, and it's reported that she will only be appearing in one scene in the show's finale. There has been much speculation about how it came to happen as she has reportedly had a strained relationship with fellow cast-mate Sarah Jessica Parker, who also acts as an Executive Producer on the show. Journalist and Sex and the City fan, Olivia Petter joins Anita.One consequence of the overturning of Roe V Wade, which has made accessing an abortion more difficult in some US states, is that there’s been a rise in the number of men seeking vasectomies. An estimated 20,000 extra men chose to undergo the surgery between July and December last year. Anita Rani talks to Dr. Stanton Honig the director of the Yale Medicine Male Reproductive Health & Sexual Medicine Program.A new study by the Universities of Glasgow and Cardiff has found that male characters in video games speak twice as much as female characters, and when female characters do speak, they’re more likely to apologise, hesitate or be polite. We discuss the findings and the reasons behind the gendered dialogue with a lead author of the study, Dr Stephanie Rennick, and games writer and narrative designer Samantha Webb. African midwife Edna Adan Ismail is known as the ‘Woman of Firsts’. She’s Somaliland’s first trained midwife, first female Minister of Foreign Affairs, and former First Lady. And now she has added another first to her title. She is this year’s winner of the Templeton Prize - making her the first black African woman to receive the honour. She has been awarded the £1.1 million prize for her contribution to women’s health. In 2002 she sold everything she owned to build The Edna Adan Hospital and University which has played a crucial role in cutting maternal mortality rates in Somaliland. She still lives and works within the hospital. Edna Adan Ismail explains what life is like for women in Somaliland, and what will she spend the prize money on. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Kirsty Starkey

A woman who was stalked by her husband and then placed into witness protection with a new identity to escape him, says she feels like she's the one being punished. She's complained to the police about the way her case was handled after being told she failed an assessment and was no longer being supported by them in her new life. She spoke to our reporter Melanie Abbott, and says she felt completely cut adrift. We hear her story of how she had to uproot her two children and start a new life with a new job in a new town, while her husband is free to live wherever he likes. Academic Rachael Wheatley from the university of Derby tells Anita how she is training police to be better at dealing with stalkers and how victims need better support.The England manager Sarina Wiegman has this week named her squad for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July. But star players like Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby will all miss out because of injury. Wiegman is also keen to get her squad training together at the earliest possible opportunity, but says her plans are being blocked by the European Club Association who only want players released from their club teams at the end of June at the earliest. So what does this mean for England Women’s world cup chances and how will they fare down under? Anita finds out from Jo Currie, BBC women's sport reporter.This week, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law. It’s a country already known for its strict laws against LGBT people, but the new bill includes legislation changes such as the death penalty for what is being described as ‘aggravated homosexuality’, for example anyone engaging in gay sex who is infected with a life-long illness such as HIV. The bill also states that anyone facilitating same-sex marriage in the country could face up to seven years imprisonment, and anyone promoting or normalising LGBT relationships could be served whole life sentences. Kasha Nabagesera, LGBT activist and founder of Freedom and Roam Uganda, one of the main lesbian, bisexual and transgender women's rights organizations in the country, joins Anita to discuss what this means on the ground.Did you grow up in the 90s and noughties during the advent of the internet, when MSN, chatrooms and MySpace were the dominant platforms? Harriet Gibsone is an author and millennial who was part of the first generation to come of age online. In her new memoir Is This OK? One Woman’s Search for Connection Online, she examines the long-term impact it had on her and the pros and cons of online connection at different stages of her life, from being a teen to becoming a mother struggling with early menopause. She joins Anita in the Woman's Hour studio.

When Rebecca Perry was growing up, she competed nationally and internationally as a trampolinist. She went on to become a published poet and has now ventured into non-fiction with a beautifully written memoir, On Trampolining. She joins Nuala in the studio. A new report by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has highlighted a gender pension gap between what men and women are living on in retirement. The estimate it’s currently running at 40.5%, which is more than double the current gender pay gap. Nuala McGovern talks to Nikki Pound from the TUC and financial expert Sarah Pennells Consumer finance specialist at Royal London - pensions insurance provider about the issues facing women and possible solutions.A new Channel 4 documentary out today, A Paedophile In The Family, looks at the life of Emily Victoria and how she carried the weight of being sexually abused by her father throughout her childhood. Following the release of her father from prison, she decided to reach out to those who knew her - teachers, family friends and her mother - to try and understand how the abuse she experienced from the age of two to eighteen remained hidden for so long. Emily joins Nuala in the studio.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

As figures show more than a third of parents are using debt to pay for childcare, Nuala will be meeting two women who’ve gone deep into the red to pay nursery fees in order to maintain a career and discussing whether the financial risk has been worth it.The government has announced that it is set to close what it calls an ‘unacceptable’ loophole which allows e-cigarettes to be given to teenagers - a ban on nicotine free products to under 18s is also being considered. Research by NHS Digital shows that one in five 15-year-old girls use electronic cigarettes, which is 7% higher than boys of the same age. Nuala is joined by Linda Bauld, Professor of Public Health at Edinburgh University as well as Leanne McGuire, the mother of a teenager who was addicted to vaping at 15 and Rob Pavey, the Headteacher at a secondary school in Oxford to discuss.Writer and Podcaster Jackie Adedeji speaks to Nuala about her new Channel 4 documentary UNTOLD: My Big Boobs, a look into the impacts of having big boobs and the rise in breast reduction surgery. Sarah Ditum also joins to discuss the cultural trends of breasts through the years.Succession has ended after four dramatic seasons. It has been called ‘the greatest TV show ever made.’ The satirical dark comedy-drama about power, politics and a family dynasty followed the highly dysfunctional Roy family. The show might be a fantastic snapshot into the lives of the top 1% but it has also produced some incredible female characters. Nuala hears more about the women in Succession from comedian Sara Barron, who co-hosts Firecrotch and Normcore: a Succession Podcast, and Journalist Laura Martin.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

Why do we lie? And what is happening in our brain when we do it? Nuala asks psychologist Dr Sharon Leal, Senior Research Fellow and Member of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at the University of Portsmouth and Professor Tali Sharot, director of the Affective Brain Lab. a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, and the author of The Optimism Bias.A 2019 study by Portsmouth University found that men were more than twice as likely to consider themselves expert liars who got away with it. But women can be just as good at lying. Nuala speaks to two women who are very good at it! Amanda Lovett, from the BAFTA award winning BBC gameshow The Traitors, won legions of fans for her steely ability to lie during the show, and Kirsty Mann is a writer and comedian - but she’s been keeping a very big secret from some of her comedy pals. She has a show about having a double life is called SKELETONS and is playing at the Edinburgh Fringe.Some lies are bigger than other and can have a huge impact on your life. Nuala talks to writer Miranda Doyle about exposing her family's lies in her memoire Book of Untruths, and a listener we are calling Ravi, explains why she lied to her family about moving to the US for love.Plus, you can’t read a tabloid newspaper without some form of cheating scandal filling the headlines. But what makes someone lie to the person they love? Nuala asks Natalie Lue, a boundaries and relationships coach, and author of The Joy of Saying No, and writer Rosie Green, author of How to Heal a Broken Heart and host of podcast Life’s Rosie about the big and little lies we tell in relationships.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sophie Powling

A recent survey of a thousand teenage girls has found that nearly half of them have struggled to access products at school. On Sunday a Period Parade will make its way through London to call for continued support to combat period inequality and shame. We hear from Emily Wilson - the International chief executive of I Rise, a period-equality charity. Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan grew up as one of five children living in dire poverty, surrounded by addiction. She is now an award winning lecturer, whose work explores barrier to education. She tells us about her extraordinary life story, as told in her memoir ‘Poor’ and to explain how she triumphed through sheer determination.As the Online Safety Bill progresses through the House of Lords, the former culture secretary Baroness Morgan of Cotes has tabled an amendment to the Bill calling for a Violence Against Women and Girls Code of Practice. She tells us why she believes a code is desperately needed to specifically address the harms to women and girls. Sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK will end by 2030, but women are less likely than men to consider buying an electric vehicle, and the gap seems to be widening. Erin Baker, Editorial Director from AutoTrader and Beth Morley, a mobility and human insights manager from Cenex, discuss. Let’s Eat Grandma are an electro-pop duo composed of best friends Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth. They tell us about their friendship since the age of four and perform ‘Two Ribbons from their latest album.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

In the last two years Turkey has withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention which "creates a comprehensive legal framework and approach to combat violence against women" and at the same time international observers have raise concerns over femicide rates in the country as well as violence against women and girls. Anita Rani talks to the independent journalist Barcin Yinanc and Ravza Kavakci from Erdogan’s ruling AKP party.A recent survey of a thousand teenage girls has found that nearly half of them have struggled to access products at school. On Sunday a Period Parade will make it’s way through London to call for continued support to combat period inequality and shame. We talk to Emily Wilson - the International chief executive of I Rise, a period-equality charityTracey Curtis-Taylor is a British aviator who has paid tribute to pioneering female aviators like Lady Mary Heath and Amy Johnson by flying the paths they once flew. Now she’s written a book all about her flights, and the reasons behind them. She joins Anita in the studio to talk more about her adventures. Bar Pandora is the emerging alt-pop project and stage name of Coventry-based musician, writer, artist & performer, Charlie Tophill. The new single Ultramess is out this week. Charlie joins Anita to discuss the inspiration for her work, overcoming shame and self-policing in the music industry.Liz Harvie and Debbie Iromlou are both adult adoptees in their 50's and Woman's Hour listeners. Having heard our discussion about adoption on Tuesday they decided to get in touch. They wanted to talk about the impact of being adopted on their mental health all through their lives.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

Tributes are being paid to the Queen of Rock n Roll, Tina Turner, who has died aged 83 after a long illness. Turner became one of the world's most famous music icons, known for her smash hits What's Love Got to Do With It , We Don't Need Another Hero and The Best. To pay tribute to this music legend, Anita is joined by the music journalist Jacqueline Springer and Dhivya Kate Chetty, the director of When Tina Turner Came to Britain.More than a million people have been displaced over the last five weeks as two men fight for control of Sudan. The United Nation’s Population Fund says there’s been a 900% increase in reports of gender based violence since the start of the conflict and doctors are reporting a rise in the number of women seeking help after being raped. Anita Rani talks to Nima Elbagir, a Sudanese-born journalist and CNN's Chief International Investigative Correspondent and Dr Attia Abdullah who’s a doctor in Khartoum and General Secretary of the Sudan doctors trade union. Helen Hardy grew up in Newcastle loving football, playing it and watching it. At the 2019 Women's World Cup in 2019 she had a lightbulb moment as she looked around the stands and realised all the female fans were wearing men's football shirts, despite clearly being fans of the women's game. She set up Foudy's in 2020, the first retailer dedicated to selling shirts for women's football. The judges for this year's Woman's Hour Power List put her at Number 6 on the list.Cleo Watson served in 10 Downing Street as Theresa May’s political adviser then Boris Johnson’s co-deputy chief of staff. She joins Anita to talk about her novel, Whips, which follows three young politicos trying to make a life for themselves in Westminster. It's got scandal, sisterhood and a lot of sex! But just how much of it is based on Cleo's own time behind the most famous black door in the UK?Let’s Eat Grandma are an electro-pop duo composed of best friends Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth. They used to write together in Rosa’s family home in Norwich and made their first song together aged just 10. Three albums later, including one which was nominated for an Ivor Novello award, they are soon to be performing at Meltdown Festival in London. They join Nuala in the studio to discuss their career, friendship and perform a song from their latest album ‘Two Ribbons’.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Gayl Gordon and Michael Millham

After more than seven years taking evidence, six months ago the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published their final report which put forward 20 recommendations for the government. This week the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, announced they had accepted 19 of those put forward. Professor Alexis Jay, who chaired the IICSA for seven years, joins Nuala to explain why she is deeply disappointed with their response.Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan grew up as one of five children living in dire poverty, surrounded by addiction. She is now an award winning lecturer, whose work explores barrier to education. She joins Nuala to discuss herlife story, as told in her moving, funny, brave and shocking memoir – Poor.Sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK will end by 2030, but women are less likely than men to consider buying an electric vehicle, and the gap seems to be widening. Erin Baker, Editorial Director from AutoTrader and Beth Morley, a mobility and human insights manager from Cenex, join Nuala to discuss. This month marks ten years since a law authorising same-sex couples to marry and adopt children was passed in France. But it wasn’t until 2021 that single women and lesbian couples were allowed to get fertility treatment following two years of parliamentary debate. A new French film - La Graine or The Seed - looks at the journey of a lesbian couple, Ines and Lucie, on their quest to have a baby, set before the law came into force in France To discuss the current situation I’m joined by the director Eloïse Lang, & journalist for France24, Claire Paccalin.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lucinda Montefiore Studio manager: Sue Maillot

According to a new report from Adoption UK nearly half of families with adopted children aged 13 to 25 say they are at ‘crisis point’ or ‘facing severe challenges’. Author, Becky Brooks, discusses her report alongside Clare, a parent of adopted children.Indian women wrestlers have been living on the streets of Delhi in protest after they accused their sport's federation's top official of sexual harassment and abuse. There is just three months until the World Championships and the Asian Games when ordinarily these women would be focussed on intense training. Nuala discusses the situation with Divya Arya, Women's Affairs Journalist at BBC Delhi. A new production of Rigoletto opens next week at Opera Holland Park. Described as “a propulsive tragedy of toxic masculinity and unfettered power”, the director, Cecilia Stinton, explains why she has set it in an Oxbridge-style college post World War I, and the relevance of the story to a modern audience. The soprano, Alison Langer, who plays the role of Gilda, also joins Nuala and performs live in the studio.New research has found that women are twice as likely to die within 30 days of a heart attack compared with men. To explore why women continue to appear more vulnerable after having a heart attack Nuala is joined by consultant cardiologist Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan.The Happy Couple is the second novel by the acclaimed Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, whose debut Exciting Times was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. It follows a young couple, Celine and Luke, in the run-up to their wedding and explores the creeping doubts they have about each other, marriage and monogamy. Naoise joins Nuala in the studio.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

Starting on BBC Two, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer tonight, Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland gives voice to the people who lived through the Troubles, sharing intimate stories from all sides of the conflict. The series airs today on the anniversary of the referendum that ratified the Good Friday Agreement, on 22nd May 1998. Nuala is joined by two women, Denise and Bernadette, who chose to take part in the series to share their stories. As the Online Safety Bill progresses through the House of Lords, the former culture secretary Baroness Morgan of Cotes has tabled an amendment to the Bill calling for a Violence Against Women and Girls Code of Practice. She said a code is desperately needed to specifically address the harms to women and girls. Further discussions will take place this week on the Bill. Baroness Nicky Morgan joins Nuala to discuss.How do you feel if someone tells you you’re 'looking good for your age'? Not so secretly thrilled? Slightly indignant? Why are we likely to take it as a compliment if someone believes you look younger than you actually are? The American businesswoman and lifestyle guru Martha Stewart recently became the oldest woman on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and has been praised for looking less than her 81 years. Why? Nuala is joined by Sam Baker of The Shift podcast, and Lucy Baker who blogs as Geriatric Mum.A new menopause drug to deal with hot flushes could be available by the end of the year in the UK. The non-hormonal drug fezolinetant has been hailed as 'game-changing' by some experts. At the same time, the supply of the HRT drug Utrogestan has been restricted by the government because of shortages. To find out more, Nuala is joined by Dr Annice Mukherjee, a consultant endocrinologist and visiting professor at the University of Coventry; and Dr Nina Wilson, an NHS GP and founder of the One Woman Health menopause clinic.

Psychiatrists say they’re worried that some people with eating disorders are being offered palliative care. They say an eating disorder is not a terminal illness and most people can recover. Our reporter Carolyn Atkinson speaks to two women who currently have an eating disorder, and reports on what charities and professionals are saying about recover, and Hayley talks to mental health campaigner Hope Virgo about her experience.Karen Millen started setting up her fashion brand just after she left college. She later sold the business, and made millions. Now, 20 years later, she’s back working for the company, creating a new collection. Anita speaks to her about what happened in between, and how it feels to be back. Bafta-winning actor Suranne Jones is back on our screens with Maryland, a three-part drama about two sisters discovering that their mother was leading a secret life. Suranne plays the younger sister Becca. She joins Hayley to explain how the idea, which came to her in a dream, made it onto the small screen.A new study suggests that humans kissing may have started more than a thousand years earlier than was previously thought. Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen from the University of Oxford joins Anita to talk through what it means, and how the investigation came about because of a conversation at the dinner table.Are men responsible for unwanted pregnancies? 'Ejaculate Responsibly: The conversation We Need to Have about Men and Contraception' is a stirring manifesto by American writer and award-winning blogger Gabrielle Blair, who thinks they are. According to Gabrielle, if you boil it right down all unwanted pregnancies are caused by irresponsible ejaculations. She joins Hayley to discuss her argument.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lottie Garton

The American singer/songwriter Kesha’s first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single "Right Round". She’s since had two number one albums and nine top ten singles including Tik Tok, We R Who We R, "Your Love Is My Drug," "Die Young, and "Timber" with Pitbull. She has earned two GRAMMY nominations. Today she releases her latest album – Gag Order. She joins Anita to discuss the themes of love, anxiety and spiritual awakening.In a new study out today, scientists have suggested that humans kissing may have started 4,500 years ago in the ancient Middle East – that’s 1,000 years earlier than previously thought. Anita finds out more from the scientist Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen from the University of Oxford.The best selling author of the Geek Girl series, Holly Smale, was diagnosed as autistic in 2021, at the age of 39. She said she felt relief that she now has an explanation for why she’s felt she’s never “fitted in”. She couldn’t herself anywhere. She needed to see herself in a book, so she wouldn’t feel so alone. Holly has now written her first adult fiction – the highly autobiographical, The Cassandra Complex. She joins Anita to explain why it’s important to her that autism is represented in the media.Anita is joined by another one of the women on our Power List celebrating 30 women in sport. Manisha Tailor is the Assistant Head of Coaching at Championship club Queen's Park Rangers and is the first woman to hold such a position in men's professional football in England. Manisha is also the founder of Swaggarlicious, an organisation that uses community football sessions to engage with minority groups including women and girls, and especially those with mental health challenges. ‘Depp vs Heard’ is a three part C4 series that charts the tumultuous defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his former wife Amber Heard that was broadcast live in full. Mixing courtroom footage with the reaction from the millions who viewed it online, it’s a story of twists and turns. And questions if a jury ever be truly fair in the age of social media? The BAFTA-nominated documentary director Emma Cooper, joins Anita from Los Angeles.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Louise Corley

Erika Lust makes adult films that focus on female pleasure, diversity and what she calls ethical production. She has big ideas about how to change the porn industry and joins Anita Rani in the studio to discuss them. Karen Millen, creator of the eponymous fashion brand has created a new collection over 40-years after she set up her first shop. She sold the business in 2004, but in later years she filed for bankruptcy. Now aged 61, Millen is returning to designing clothes. She joins Anita to talk about the highs and lows of her life so far, and starting over.Forced marriage has been illegal in England and Wales since 2014, but a study jointly by the Universities of Lincoln and Bristol, has revealed that the crime remains rife. Their research on the use of Forced Marriage Protection Orders, designed to prevent forced marriages, used data from nearly 600 case files from police forces nationwide. Anita is joined by the criminologist, Professor Aisha Gill, one of the leads on the research, who is proposing new measures to protect victims. Journalist Kiran Sidhu moved from London to the Welsh countryside after the death of her mother. She has written a memoir about what she learnt there of grief, community and unlikely friendships, ‘I Can Hear the Cuckoo’. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Michael Millham

Bafta-winning actor Suranne Jones is back on our screens with Maryland, a three-part drama about two sisters discovering that their mother was leading a secret life. Suranne, who plays the younger sister Becca, is also executive producer on the series. She joins Hayley to explain how the idea, which came to her in a dream, made it onto the small screen. A new law to be tabled in Parliament today would abolish no-fault evictions and make it illegal for landlords to refuse tenancies to those in receipt of benefits, as part of a long-promised overhaul of the private rental sector in England. Housing campaigners said the bill was a "huge opportunity" to improve the lives of the 11 million renters in England - but its still doesnt go far enough to help many renters, 40% of which are women. Melissa York, the assistant property editor at The Times and The Sunday Times & Polly Neate, Chief Exectuive of Shelter. Psychiatrists say they’re worried that some people with eating disorders are being offered palliative care, warning it is not a terminal illness and most people can recover. Carolyn Atkinson reports and Hayley talks to mental health campaigner Hope Virgo. Hayley talks to scientist and academic Athene Donald about her new book Not Just for the Boys which examines the historic societal exclusion of women from science and the systemic disadvantages women in science operate under. She looks at the common myths that science isn't creative and that it is carried out by a lone genius in an ivory tower, offering her perspective on what progress has been made, and how more is needed. Presenter: Hayley Hassall Producer: Lucinda Montefiore Studio Manager: Steve Greenwood

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse and Emma Turay are two women who lost their teenage daughters due to severe allergic reactions to food they had eaten. They are calling for the government to put in a place an ‘allergy tsar’ to prevent what they say are unnecessary deaths and illnesses. They explain their demands to Hayley Hassall.'Ejaculate Responsibly: The conversation We Need to Have about Men and Contraception' is a stirring manifesto by American writer and award winning parenting blogger Gabrielle Blair. Why, she asks, are women expected to do all the work of pregnancy prevention particularly when men are fifty times more fertile than women? That’s one of the 28 arguments in her book which show in different ways how men take little if any responsibility for unwanted pregnancies. And yet according to Gabrielle, if you boil it right down all unwanted pregnancies are caused by irresponsible ejaculations. In a report out today the Independent Monitoring Board have found women are being sent to prison as a 'place of safety' whilst experiencing severe mental health problems. Some women were sent to prison because they had attempted suicide; some had been diagnosed with a severe mental illness and needed medication and there was no adequate community provision. Hayley Hassall is joined by the IMB's National Chair Dame Anne Owers.An adaption of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, the bestselling book by beloved teen author Judy Blume is coming to the big screens this week. So, we are asking - what did the book mean to you? Journalist Leila Latif joins Hayley to discuss why the coming-of-age story is still relevant today and how Judy Blume’s books guided her through her own adolescence.Presenter: Hayley Hassall Producer: Emma Pearce

In their book What I Wish I’d Known When I Was Young, they interview the likes of Ruth Davidson and Mary Portas and explore the psychology behind their experiences. Hayley is joined by Alice Thomson and also by the science writer David Robson, who investigates the potential issues with the psychological concept of Post-Traumatic Growth. The latest political workplace scandal centres around Plaid Cymru in Wales where the party’s leader Adam Price has resigned after a report described it as being a toxic workplace with evidence of misogyny, harassment and bullying. But such claims are or have been found in all the main political parties despite each putting codes of conducts and complaints procedures to address concerns in these areas. Are behaviours like bullying and abusive behaviour concentrated in certain work places, whether its politics, or institutions like the police or fire service? We hear from the former Welsh Assembly politician Bethan Sayed about the situation facing her former party Plaid Cymru and also to the journalist Kate Maltby, Dr Nicola Thomas from the Institute of Work Psychology at the University of Sheffield and Baroness Dame Louise Casey who conducted a review into the Metropolitan Police.Cinematic feminist pioneer Nina Menkes speaks about her new docu-film about the objectification of women in film, and the male gaze, called Brainwashed: Sex-Power-Camera. And the issue of when to allow your children to get a mobile phone with Molly Kingsley from the campaign group UsForThem.Presenter: Hayley Hassall Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Bob Nettles

Masih Alinejad, Iranian American journalist, women's rights campaigner and a Time Woman of the Year 2023, is an outspoken critic of the Iranian government. She joins Anita to talk about her fight for women's rights in Iran.‘Just Saying’ is a memoir by the bestselling author Malorie Blackman, former Children’s Laureate, best known for her Noughts & Crosses series for young adults. Malorie received eighty-two rejection letters before she finally found a publisher. Seventy published books later it is no exaggeration to say that Malorie Blackman has changed the face of British literature forever. Malorie joins Nuala to discuss her life and works.650 years ago a woman we only know as Julian of Norwich produced a book which challenged the ideas of the time about sin and suffering. It presented a radical vision of love and hope that “All Shall Be Well and All Shall Be Well and All Manner of Things Shall be Well”. We hear from a listener, Sophie, about the words that she turns to for motivation and encouragement.Blended families are created for all sorts of reasons. Because of break-ups or the death of a parent, through fostering or adoption. Kate Ferdinand, previously Kate Wright of The Only Way is Essex fame, married the former footballer Rio Ferdinand in 2019, four years after his first wife Rebecca and mother of their three children, had died. As a new step mum she struggled partly because she felt very alone and that no-one understood what she was going through. But there was also very little out there to help someone in her situation – the step-parenting parts of books and websites were tiny, she says. Kate has now written her own book - How to Build a Family. She joins Anita to discuss her experiences.Most of us are familiar with the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who wrote a diary while hiding from the Nazis with her family, in Amsterdam during the Second World War. You are probably less familiar with the name of the woman who agreed to keep them safe in those secret attic rooms. Miep Gies was Otto’s secretary, and when they were eventually located and sent to their deaths, it was Miep who found Anne’s diary and kept it. A new TV series tells the whole story from Miep’s perspective, and she is played by the British actor Bel Powley. Bel joins Nuala to talk about playing an ordinary woman who displayed extraordinary courage.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Hanna Ward

In her latest stage role Dame Maureen Lipman plays Rose in a one-woman memory play with its Jewish heroine sitting Shiva – mourning for the many dead, and moving through Jewish twentieth century history. On stage alone for two hours, her performance has already sparked two sell out runs in London and Manchester, and now she’s back in the West End for a month. Maureen joins Anita live in the Woman’s Hour studio.Blended families are created for all sorts of reasons. Because of break-ups or the death of a parent, through fostering or adoption. Kate Ferdinand married the former footballer Rio Ferdinand in 2019, four years after his first wife Rebecca and mother of their three children, had died. Now Kate has written How to Build a Family, the book she wished she'd had when she started out being a step mum.Woman’s Hour Power List Leader Rimla Akhtar joins Anita to talk about her ground-breaking work in the world of women’s sport. She was ranked by Forbes and The Independent as one of the most powerful women in international sports, and was awarded an OBE in 2021 for her contribution to diversity and equality in sport.What is it really like to be a female ambassador? A new Netflix show, The Diplomat, has got people talking about the role. It stars American actress, Keri Russell, as a new US ambassador to the UK, parachuted into the role in the midst of a crisis. It debuted at No 1 on Netflix’s weekly global Top 10 list. So, we wanted to know - is the life of a real diplomat as exciting? What do they get up to? We are joined by former ambassadors Jules Chappell and Laura Clarke to find out.

Masih Alinejad, Iranian American journalist, women's rights campaigner and a Time Woman of the Year 2023, is an outspoken critic of the Iranian government. She joins Anita to talk about her fight for women's rights in Iran. The winners of Race Across The World on BBC1, where travellers made it to a destination, choosing any route they liked, but with no flights or phones allowed. For this third series, those involved travelled from West to East Canada. Cathie Rowe and Tricia Sail celebrate their triumph.For the first time, Interpol have released a list seeking information about 22 unidentified murdered women, whose names are a mystery. Anita is joined by BBC journalist Alice Cuddy to explain why this is happening, and forensic scientist Carina Van Leeuwen who is passionate about giving these women a name.Rosie and Chris Ramsey, top podcast couple, join Anita to talk about the perils of producing a podcast when you’re married with children and you’re airing your dirty laundry in public for laughs, and their remarkable success including a new BBC1 series, 'The Chris and Rosie Ramsey Show'.Presenter: Anita Rani Studio manager: Duncan Hannant

Just Saying’ is a memoir by the bestselling author Malorie Blackman, former Children’s Laureate, best known for her Noughts & Crosses series for young adults. Malorie received eighty-two rejection letters before she finally found a publisher. Seventy published books later it is no exaggeration to say that Malorie Blackman has changed the face of British literature forever. Malorie joins Nuala to discuss her life and works. Donald Trump says he will appeal the verdict of a New York jury in a civil case that found he sexually abused and defamed a woman. The woman in question E Jean Carroll, a magazine columnist, claimed the former US president attacked her in a department store in the mid 1990s. The civil trial rejected her claim of rape and in total the jury ordered Trump to pay five million dollars in damages to Carroll. Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia joins Nuala. The campaign group Buy Women Built is launching a kitemark to add to products made by female-founded firms to help boost their sales. This means that when you shop, you will be able to spot and buy from brands created by women - and in turn help their revenue. Nuala is joined by the founder of Buy Women Built, Sahar Hashemi OBE and Lemon Fuller, founder and CEO of Lemonade Dolls, a UK underwear start-up that is part of the Buy Women Built community. England Netball have recently launched a new initiative aimed at supporting women and girls to play the sport at every life stage, by normalising conversations around pelvic health, the menstrual cycle and the menopause, and through offering guidance and support to all those involved in the game. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lucinda Montefiore Studio Manager: Gayl Gordon

Most of us are familiar with the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who wrote a diary while hiding from the Nazis with her family, in Amsterdam during the Second World War. You are probably less familiar with the name of the woman who agreed to keep them safe in those secret attic rooms. Miep Gies was Otto’s secretary, and when they were eventually located and sent to their deaths, it was Miep who found Anne’s diary and kept it. A new TV series tells the whole story from Miep’s perspective, and she is played by the British actor Bel Powley. Bel joins Nuala to talk about playing an ordinary woman who displayed extraordinary courage.Plans have been announced to allow more patients to use high street pharmacies for some common drug prescriptions and routine tests to ease the pressure on busy GPs. Pharmacies are being asked to take on the prescribing of drugs for seven common ailments, including sore throats, earaches, shingles and urinary tract infections or UTIs. Women are up to 30 times more likely to get a UTIs than men. Half of women will have at least one in their lifetime and 20% will have more than one. So is easier access for women for UTI treatment a positive move? Mary Garthwaite, a former consultant urologist and chair of the Urology Foundation joins Nuala to discuss.As voters in Thailand head to the polls on Sunday for a general election, who are the frontrunners and what are the issues that female voters care about? Women played a key role in the 2020 pro-democracy protests and many are seeing the election as a way to challenge the power of patriarchal institutions such as the military and the monarchy. The current Prime Minister has been trailing behind opposition candidates in the polls, including Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who gave birth just two weeks ago. Nuala is joined by Jonathan Head, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, to discuss.We hear the next in our series about how relationships are changed and put under strain when life happens. Zoe and James talk about how 'Ed' which is what they call Zoe's eating disorder has affected them since they got together as a couple when they were at school. Zoe's anorexia was 'atypical' - her weight wasn't low but she was in the grip of anorexia, all the behaviours and disordered thinking were there - her body was under terrible stress and she was regularly collapsing. Only James was really aware of what was going on, a fact that put their relationship under pressure. Jo Morris went to meet Zoe and James in Lincolnshire and they tell their story.What was your experience with theatre when you were at school? Was there that one show you saw that inspired you and that you’ll never quite forget? Playwright Hannah Lavery and writer and actor Sarah Middleton have recently taken to the stage with their respective plays, Protest, and SHEWOLVES, which are aimed at teenagers and ensuring that young women’s voices are heard on the stage. They join Nuala to discuss the impact theatre can have on young people.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Hanna Ward

Words to live by and finding hope in the face of terrible suffering, the life of the anchoress or hermit Julian of Norwich, the power of walking and nature to heal and art that replaces adverts with words of love – all part of this special Bank Holiday Woman’s Hour.650 years ago a woman we only know as Julian of Norwich produced a book written while she was voluntarily walled up in a hermit’s cell which challenged the ideas of the time about sin and suffering. It presented a radical vision of love and hope that “All Shall Be Well and All Shall Be Well and All Manner of Thing Shall be Well”. We hear about her life, how it has helped one woman through cancer treatment and inspired the lives of others, and we hear from listeners about the words that they turn to for motivation and encouragement. Nuala McGovern speaks to Claire Gilbert author of a new novel I Julian; Dr. Hetta Howes senior lecturer in medieval and early modern literature at City, University of London; Sally-Anne Lomas Trustee of The Friends of Julian and creative director of The Cloth of Kindness project and to Faye Smith founder of Hope Walking. And, the British Kenyan artist Grace Ndiritu explains why she emblazoned the words 'Wherever you are I hope you have found peace' on 30 billboards around Birmingham.Producer Caroline Donne

An estimated one in five new and expectant mums develop perinatal mental illnesses such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. While every pregnant woman should be screened for mental health issues at their 10-week antenatal appointment, new data from NHS England shows one in six NHS Trusts are struggling to report if they are following the clinical guidelines. We hear from the Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist Dr Trudi Seneviratne and Hayley Johnson a mum of two who experienced debilitating anxiety after the birth of her second child.When Sheilagh Matheson and her husband offered to house a mother and her daughters fleeing from Ukraine little did she know that the girls were musical prodigies and that their music would stop passers-by in the street. Sheilagh and 17-year-old Khrystyna tell us their story. The book ‘Honey, Baby, Mine’ is a new joint project of mother/daughter actors Diane Ladd, and Laura Dern Working. It's based on a series of walks and talks taken when about four years ago Diane faced a serious threat to her health. Why does rejection hurt so much? The writer Kate Wills tells us about how her fear of rejection has held her back in life, and an experiment she did to try and cure it. Plus we hear from the Chartered psychologist Fiona Murden.The new BBC comedy drama Black Ops centres around Dom and Kay, two Police Community Support Officers in East London who join the Metropolitan police in the hope of cleaning up their neighbourhood. Instead they find themselves working undercover to infiltrate a criminal gang. We hear from its star, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Beverley Purcell

Plaid Cymru have apologised after a damning review found a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny in the party. The party had "failed to implement a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment" and that women had been "especially" let down. Dan Davies, the BBC Wales Political Correspondent explains. Taylor Swift is rumoured to have a new boyfriend and its all over the papers. She is the highest-paid female entertainer in the world, earning $92 million in 2022 following the success of her 10th studio album “Midnights". But why are we so obsessed with her - and in particular, her personal life? Charlotte Gunn, editor of the female-focused music publication, The Forty Five explains. The journalist Kohinoor Sahota tells us why as a single British Asian woman she wanted to share her story about her plans to freeze her eggs next month. Rachel Cutting, an emrbryologist in the NHS for 25 years and now Director of Compliance and Information for the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) discusses the egg freezing process, and the success rate.Lisa Selby is both the subject and the co-director of a new film called Blue Bag Life. In it Lisa examines her relationships with her mother Helen, who abandoned her at 10 months old, and her partner Elliot. Both were heroin addicts, and in the same year Helen dies and Elliot relapses and ends up in prison. An artist and academic, Lisa shot thousands of videos recording her conversations and thoughts during this difficult period in her life, which have been woven together in this feature-length documentary, Lisa joins Anita, along with one of her co-directors Rebecca Lloyd-Evans. Blue Bag Life is on BBC Four on Tuesday 9 May at 10pm, and then on the iPlayer.Wrexham players and Hollywood club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney celebrated the men's team promotion to the English Football League as well as the women's team which won promotion to the Adram Premier league. As thousands lined the streets, Katie Owen was invited to DJ on the open top bus victory parade through the town. She explains what it was like to be part of the celebrations.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

An estimated one in five new and expectant mums develops perinatal mental illnesses according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Whilst every pregnant woman should be screened for mental health issues at their 10-week antenatal appointment, new data from NHS England shows one in six NHS Trusts are struggling to report if they are doing so. Anita is joined by Dr Trudi Seneviratne, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and Registrar of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Hayley Johnson, a mum who experienced debilitating anxiety after giving birth.It's been a remarkable week for women's sport, with record breaking crowds. Anita is joined by one of the women on the Woman's Hour Power List 2023 who has been banging the drum of women's sport for over a decade, Tammy Parlour, co-founder and CEO of the Women's Sports Trust.For the first time, the May edition of British Vogue features disabled models on its cover. One of these is Ellie Goldstein, the first model with Down's syndrome to ever star. She is one of fashion’s rising stars, advocating inclusivity across the industry. Anita talks to Ellie and her mum, Yvonne about Ellie's work.The British tradition of kneeler making, hand-stitching kneeling cushions in churches, is a type of folk art that has been long overlooked. The earliest examples are from the 17th century and the reigns of Charles I and II. Will the coronation of a new king revive interest in this languishing art? Anita meets Elizabeth Bingham, author of Kneelers. A new BBC six part comedy thriller Black Ops centres around Dom and Kay, two Police Community Support Officers in East London who join the Metropolitan police. In the hope of cleaning up their neighbourhood, they find themselves working undercover to infiltrate a criminal gang. Gbemisola Ikumelo, perhaps best known for the comedy sketch show Famalam is the co-creator. She talks to Anita about writing and starring in the series. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Bob Nettles

For Ellie Wilson, now 25, it’s been a year since the man she once called her boyfriend was convicted of raping her and sentenced to five years in prison. Research shows that one in four women have been raped or sexually assaulted as adults, but it is estimated that only one in six will report it with less than 1% of reported cases ending in a conviction. Ellie speaks to Nuala to explain why she chose to waive her right to anonymity and what propels her to continue to campaign for reform of the justice system in light of her experience.Plans for Britain’s first women’s-only tower block, to be built in Ealing, west London, have been approved. The brainchild of the housing association Women’s Pioneer Housing, it will be a 15-storey tower containing 102 flats to be rented to single women, in particular women who are disadvantaged in the housing market. Nuala is joined by the Chief Executive, Tracey Downie, and Vicky Spratt, the Housing Correspondent for the i newspaper, to discuss its potential social impact.Why does rejection hurt so much? And what are some coping mechanisms can people use? Nuala discusses with the Chartered psychologist Fiona Murden, and Kate Wills who describes her fear of rejection, how it has held her back in life, and an experiment she undertook to try and cure it.Many listeners will know that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour has been broadcast for more than 75 years – since October 1946. But far less well known is an earlier programme called Women’s Hour, which first appeared 100 years ago, in early May 1923. To find about more Nuala speaks to Dr Kate Murphy, Visiting Fellow at Bournemouth University - and author of the book Behind the Wireless: A History of Early Women at the BBC. Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Beverley Purcell