Woman's Hour

The government’s new violence against women and girls strategy was published last Wednesday. Many organisations welcomed the commitments it made but many had criticisms for areas not addressed, not least the specific needs of Black and minoritized women when facing domestic violence. Ngozi Fulani is the founder and director of Sistah Space, a small charity that offers specialist support for African & Caribbean heritage women affected by abuse. Professor Aisha K. Gill is an expert criminologist at University of Roehampton, working on violence against women/girls in Black and minoritised communities for over 20 years. They discuss the needs of these women and how big a problem this is in Black and minoritized communities.Why there is a lack of visibility of South Asian Women in sport? Mara Hafezi is a women's health coach and personal trainer, working predominantly with South Asian women. An endurance sport enthusiast, she is the Sports Co-Lead for South Asian Heritage Month. Shaheen Kasmani is a senior project manager for Maslaha, an organisation that seeks to change and challenge the conditions that create inequalities for Muslim communities. Shaheen also helps run Muslim Girls Fence - set up to encourage young Muslim women into fencing.Maternity services in the UK have in recent years faced a series of scandals, reports and investigations - all of which highlight the failings in midwifery. But what do the midwives themselves think of it all? Jessica speaks to two midwives about their experience of working on the front line and what they think needs to happen to turn things around. What does home mean to you? A place, a physical structure, a deep emotional bond or an absence of any of these? The visual artist Harriet Hill has just completed a month-long walk from her home in South-East London to her childhood home in Mid Wales. She was wearing a costume of the word ‘HOME’, made from yellow canvas over a bamboo and fibreglass frame mounted on a pair of 20” bike wheels. Inside the word was everything she needed to make home for the month of the walk - from a pull-out tent to a solar charger! Passing through diverse communities Harriet investigated the commonalities and differences in how people relate to home.Presenter: Jessica Creighton Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Shaheen Kasmani Interviewed Guest: Mara Hafezi Interviewed Guest: Professor Aisha K. Gill Interviewed Guest: Ngozi Fulani Interviewed Guest: Harriet Hill

It is 10 years since the tragic death of the singer Amy Winehouse from alcohol poisoning at the age of just 27. A new documentary film, Reclaiming Amy on the BBC on features Amy's closest friends and family and seeks to tell the story of the real Amy. We hear from her mother, Janis and close friend Catriona Gourlay.For the first time in 125 years, Team GB are taking more women athletes to the Tokyo Olympics than men. So could this be the best ever Games for women? Dame Katherine Grainger, Britain's joint most decorated female Olympian and Chair of UK Sport; double Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams and Anna Kessel, Women's Sport Editor at The Telegraph discuss. More than 1000 bodies of indigenous children have been found in unmarked graves outside of former residential schools in several parts of Canada over the last few months. Assistant Professor in the History & Classics Department from the University of Alberta tells us about the history of these schools - and the impact they had on the indigenous communities in Canada. And President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Lorraine Whitman talks about the aftermath of these discoveries - and the fight for justice for the many missing and murdered indigenous women across the country.We also hear from artistic swimmers Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe who are representing Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics. The pair have spoken out about receiving trolling and bullying for their professional synchronised swimmer physiques, describing themselves as having "big shoulders, small boobs and small bums".The fashion historian Lucy Adlington & Style Coach Loulou Storey discuss workwear trends.In the digital age, the humble typewriter seems rather quaint. But according to a new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, the typewriter is a technology with a key role in the story of female emancipation. We hear from the exhibition's principal curator, Alison Taubman.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

The Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics starts today and Team GB are taking more women athletes than men for the first time in 125 years. Of the 376 athletes selected, 201 are female. So could this be the best ever Games for women? We talk to Dame Katherine Grainger, Britain's joint most decorated female Olympian and Chair of UK Sport; double Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams and Anna Kessel, Women's Sport Editor at The Telegraph.Staying with the games, we’ll hear from artistic swimmers Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe who are representing Great Britain at Tokyo 2020. The pair have spoken out about receiving trolling and bullying for their professional synchronised swimmer physiques, describing themselves as having "big shoulders, small boobs and small bums". We talk to the writer and activist Frankie Miren’s about her novel "The Service" in which she draws on her personal experience to look at the vulnerabilities and dangers of life as a sex worker. One listener has contacted us about a new support group they've set up based on her own experiences of abuse within a religious organisation. She tells us about “Escape-escapee” which she says will help people who want to leave what she calls "high control groups". She was abused by a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses and her case went to the High Court six years ago. Another listener Laura Middleton-Hughes got in touch about her nipple tattoos. She tells Anita why she chose to have 3D areoles tattooed on her breasts after reconstructive surgery, Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Engineer: John Boland

Jules Williamson has directed her first feature film in her fifties. The premier is tonight. Off the Rails is a celebration of women. It centres round four friends who went Inter-railing when they were 19, who when one of them dies, revisit the same journey later in life taking her daughter this time. It’s a comedy drama with a great female cast - starring Sally Phillips, the late Kelly Preston (in her final role), Dame Judi Dench and Jenny Seagrove. Jules and Sally Phillips join Chloe Tilley to explain how long it took to bring this story to the screen, the messages of friendship and ‘anything is possible’, and why it has an iconic Blondie soundtrack.The number of young people hospitalised with eating disorders in England has risen during the pandemic, a BBC investigation has found. Data from NHS Digital showed the number of under-20s admitted over the past year was more than 3,200 - nearly 50% higher than in 2019-20. Hospitals are warning they are running out of beds to care for these patients, and waits for community treatment have lengthened as the number of referrals has increased. BEAT estimate 1.25million people in the UK have an eating disorder. The condition can affect anyone at any time, but girls and young women aged 12-20 are most at risk. To discuss the issues Chloe is joined by Professor Sandeep Ranote, Consultant Paediatric Psychiatrist in Eating Disorders.What has the impact of the ~MeToo movement had around the world? A new book ‘Awakening’: #MeToo and the Global Fight for Women’s Rights contains stories of women around the world who, inspired by the #MeToo movement have worked fearlessly in promoting the rights of women in their countries, sometimes at the risk of their own safety and potential imprisonment. We hear from Fakhrriyyah Hashim who pioneered the conversation on sexual violence in Northern Nigeria and from the book’s co-author, and former president of the Malala Fund, Meighan Stone.How To Kill Your Family is the darkly comic first novel by Bella Mackie. Grace has calmly murdered six members of her family but is serving a prison sentence for a murder she didn't actually commit. Bella joins Chloe Tilley to talk about female rage and to explain how she became steeped in crime and murder as a small child while reading unsuitable true crime with her Dad.Long Covid is estimated to have affected over two million people in the UK - with the majority being women. The condition is an umbrella term for a whole range of symptoms, from fatigue and brain fog to respiratory, heart and gut problems. But for those hospitalised with Covid-19, post-Covid symptoms can be so serious that a third will require readmission within six months and 1 in 8 will die. In an attempt to find treatments, a clinical trial is underway to test whether two safe and widely-available drugs can make a difference to long-term Covid recovery. A new trial called HEAL-COVID is being led by three female researchers. The lead is Dr Charlotte Summers from Cambridge University who tells Chloe about how people currently in hospital can take part.

This Friday marks 10 years since the tragic death of the singer Amy Winehouse from alcohol poisoning at the age of just 27. A new documentary film, Reclaiming Amy on BBC 2 on Friday at 9pm features Amy's closest friends and family and seeks to tell the story of the real Amy. We hear from her mother, Janis and close friend Catriona Gourlay.A brand-new cricket competition, the Hundred is launching today. It's the first time a major team sport competition, which features both male and female teams, has opened with a women’s match. Despite a push for equality, the women playing in this tournament are set to earn thousands of pounds less than the men. Can this competition change things further for women in cricket? Head of the Women's Hundred and Female Engagement at the ECB, Beth Barrett-Wild and English international cricketer, Kate Cross join Chloe to discuss.After a year long inquiry the all party parliamentary group on aesthetics beauty and wellbeing has called for much tougher regulation of Botox and fillers. MPs say the lack of proper regulation is putting women at risk. But their report stops short of recommending that only healthcare practitioners should be allowed to inject. We hear about the background and some of the horror stories from our reporter Melanie Abbott, and then from David Sines, who chairs the body registering practitioners and overseeing training providers, the Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners and Leslie Blair from the British Association of Beauty therapy and Cosmetology, which represents therapists.Plans to tackle violence against women and girls following the mass protests when the marketing executive Sarah Everard was murdered on her way home from a friend's house, have been unveiled by the government. This strategy also comes amid concern about low rape conviction rates and a culture of sexual harassment at schools. Chloe is joined by Andrea Simon, Director of End Violence Against Women Coalition and BBC special correspondent, Lucy Manning.

In the digital age, the humble typewriter seems rather quaint. But according to a new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, the typewriter is a technology with a key role in the story of female emancipation. The exhibition's principal curator, Alison Taubman, talks to Chloe Tilley about how typewriters provided a key opening into the world of work, propelled women into the public sphere, and played a major role in the fight for women's suffrage.More than 1000 bodies of indigenous children have been found in unmarked graves outside of former residential schools in several parts of Canada over the last few months. Assistant Professor in the History & Classics Department from the University of Alberta tells us about the history of these schools - and the impact they had on the indigenous communities in Canada. And President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Lorraine Whitman joins us to talk about the aftermath of these discoveries - and the fight for justice for the many missing and murdered indigenous women across the country.'Jane is Trying' is the first novel by comedian, writer and actor Isy Suttie. Jane is trying in three senses. She is trying to get pregnant (or she was before her life fell apart and she had to run home to mum and dad), she is trying to deal with her anxiety and she is trying in the sense of being a bit irritating and needy. Isy joins Chloe Tilley to talk about writing a relatable character and how the concept of 'home' shapes the novel.Journalist and the author of Millennial Love, Olivia Petter wrote about being stealth raped, a term used to describe the act of removing a condom without a partner’s consent. Following the article, she was contacted by women telling her they’d also been stealth raped and detailing the impact and trauma they had experienced. Olivia explains why it’s important for women to share their experiences and is joined by lawyer Harriet Johnson.

Maria Callas is one of the most famous opera singers. She was brought up in New York and Greece by an emotionally abusive mother who forced her to sing. Despite being admired by Hollywood stars and royalty, she fought sexism to rise to the top but never had a happy private life. Lyndsy Spence's new book Cast a Diva draws on previously unseen documents to reveal her tragic story.Stacie Marshall has inherited her family's farm in a small Appalachian valley in the US state of Georgia. She'd vaguely known about the history of her family and their land but it wasn't until she moved into her grandparents house that she realised her family had in fact owned seven enslaved people. Now Stacie, the only young woman running a farm in the valley, is trying to make amends for the wrongs of her ancestors. She joins us live from Georgia and we also hear from Nkechi Taifa a civil and human rights lawyer and long-standing reparations advocate.A charity that provides sexual and reproductive support to disadvantaged women around the world is threatening legal action against the UK government, over their recent decision to cut the international aid budget by around £4 billion. We speak to Mina Barlow, Director for External Relations at The International Planned Parenthood Foundation.And we look at the new casual officewear trends with Fashion Historian Lucy Adlington & Style Coach Loulou Storey to consider if the way we dress for work has changed forever? Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Sue Maillot

Three female football fans – hashtag ‘TheThreeHijabis - as they called themselves set up a petition calling for racists to be banned for life from all football matches in England. Shaista Aziz, Amna Abdullatif and Huda Jawad tell us about the petition which now has over a million signatories.As the Royal College of GPs marks 150 years of women in general practice we ask why more than half of GPs in the UK are women. We also discuss why women GP’s may still face issues like lower pay compared to men in their field. We hear from the President of the Royal College of GPs, Dr Amanda Howe and GP trainee, Dr Sophie Lumley.After more than a year of working from home during the pandemic, a third of women say they want to ditch their bra forever. Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, is Professor in Biomechanics at the University of Portsmouth she talks about the pros and cons of not wearing a bra.A Government challenge to a Parole Board decision to release Colin Pitchfork has been rejected - paving the way for the double child killer to be freed in the next few weeks. Pitchfork has served 33 years in prison after being jailed for raping and murdering 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in the 1980s. We hear from Philip Musson the uncle of Dawn Ashworth and from Belinda Winder, a Professor of Forensic Psychology and Research Director of the Centre of Crime, Offending, Prevention and Engagement (COPE) at Nottingham Trent University, and from David Wilson Emeritus Professor of Criminology at Birmingham University.Deborah James is a the host of the BBC's You, Me And The Big C podcast, a campaigner, writer and mother of two. She tells us about her recent experience of liver failure followed by sepsis and how she attended Wimbledon only 12 hours after leaving hospital.And we have music and chat from Bronwen Lewis a Welsh singer songwriter whose style sits between Country, Pop, Folk and Blues. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Siobhann Tighe

Bronwen Lewis is a Welsh singer songwriter whose style sits between Country, Pop, Folk and Blues. She starred in the BAFTA Award Winning and Golden Globe nominated film ‘Pride’ where she sang the theme song ‘Bread and Roses' and brought Tom Jones to tears during her time on BBC’s The Voice in 2013. Proudly bilingual, this year her TikTok following grew as she went viral for her Welsh language covers of famous Pop songs and singing the Welsh National anthem in the lead up to the Wales v Denmark Euros game. She joins Anita to discuss her passion to promote the Welsh language and the inspiration behind her new music. Three female football fans – hashtag ‘The Three Hijabis - set up a petition calling for racists to be banned for life from all football matches in England. This was in response to the shocking levels of racism that was directed towards Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka on social media after their missed penalties resulted in England losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 final. Within 48 hours Shaista Aziz, Amna Abdullatif and Huda Jawad had more than a million signatories and on Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced that he would ensure the football banning regime was changed and that people guilty of online racist abuse towards players would be banned from football matches. And yesterday it was announced that people have been arrested after the English footballers were racially abused online. Like many others our reporter Ena Miller took up a new hobby over lockdown - skating. As a form of socially distanced, COVID -compliant exercise it's boomed over the last 18 months and manufacturers of skates are struggling with demand. Ena is still learning and for us she put on her beautiful new roller skates and gingerly joined the legions of women who skate in car parks, on the streets and in halls all over the country. Pregnant women are facing a “perfect storm” of risks according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). They’re concerned that the combination of restrictions easing from next week, an increasing prevalence of COVID-19 in the community and hesitancy to get vaccinated will lead to a further increase in infections among pregnant women. We talk to Asma Khalil Professor of Obstetrics at St George’s Hospital, University of London. She is also the Obstetric lead for the national maternity and perinatal audit with the RCOG. Presented by Anita Rani Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

After more than a year of many of us working from home during the pandemic, there's been a lot of talk about the lack of requirement to put on a bra. Just this week actor Gillian Anderson announced that her relationship with bras is over. Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, Professor in Biomechanics at University of Portsmouth talks to Emma about the pros and cons of not wearing a bra. Social media influencers who document their lifestyles receive daily online abuse which increases when they promote products and make money. Instagram influencer Em Sheldon spoke to MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee yesterday about the trolling she receives which she claimed comes predominantly from adult women. Em joins Emma to discuss what should or could be done. It’s been confirmed that from next Monday 19 July all COVID requirements, including mandatory face masks and social distancing, will be lifted in England. But for more than one million of the most vulnerable people, shielding will continue. How are women across the country planning to cope? And what difference – if any – will so-called Freedom Day bring? Lucy Catchpole is a disability writer and has two young children. Mary Slattery is a disability advocate and artist. Sarah Clarke has two teenage children with disabilities. Why would you want to tell all about the ending of a painful marriage that happened 30 years ago? Emma speaks to Anne Theroux about her marriage to the writer Paul Theroux. She's written The Year of the End A Memoir of Marriage, Truth and Fiction.

Deborah James is a the host of the BBC's You, Me And The Big C podcast, a campaigner, writer and mother of two. As @bowelbabe she blogs about living with stage 4 bowel cancer since Christmas 2016. After trialling experimental drugs she was told she had ‘no sign of active disease’, not once but twice. She joins Emma to discuss her recent experience of liver failure followed by sepsis, how she attended Wimbledon only 12 hours after leaving hospital, her mission to protect cancer care, and why she is rewriting her next book, How to Live When You Could Be Dead.Yesterday the Government's challenge to a Parole Board decision to release Colin Pitchfork was rejected - paving the way for the double child killer to be freed in the next few weeks. Pitchfork has served 33 years in prison after being jailed for raping and murdering 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in the 1980s. A judge-led independent review rejected a bid by ministers to halt his release. Philip Musson, the uncle of Dawn Ashworth tells Emma how disappointed the family are by the decision. David Wilson Emeritus Professor of criminology at Birmingham City University and former prison governor, is concerned that Pitchfork has “gamed” the rehabilitation system. Belinda Winder, a Professor of Forensic Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, whose primary field is sexual offending explains how carefully parole boards come to their decisions and the importance of reintegration into the community. Have you ever been in love with an object? Yes, that's right. Not a person: a thing, or maybe a building? There's a new French film out called Jumbo, and it's about a young woman who falls in love with a fairground attraction. Zoe Wittock is the director.A number of high profile gruesome cases of women dying after their partners claimed “rough sex gone wrong” as a defence led to a change in the law earlier this year. The Domestic Abuse Act states that even if consensual, the infliction of serious harm, or worse will lead to prosecution. The veteran labour MP Harriet Harman was instrumental in getting the law changed but she says it’s not always working in practice and she joins Emma Barnett to explain why she’s calling for the Director of Prosecutions Max Hill to review two cases of particular concern.

This week, the Royal College of GPs is marking 150 years of women in general practice. More than half of GPs in the UK are women - but despite this, many still face issues like lower pay compared to men in their field. President of the College, Dr Amanda Howe and GP trainee, Dr Sophie Lumley join Emma to discuss why general practice is so appealing to women - and if they should continue to fill the ranks. Lucy D’Orsi, the new Chief Constable of the British Transport police is declaring a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on sexual harassment. She tells us why she wants to make tackling the problem a priority and for all of us to call out bad behaviour. In June 1953 Ethel and her husband, Julius Rosenberg were executed for spying, for allegedly passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. Their story gripped the American imagination and has inspired novels, plays and even non fiction. We hear from the author Anne Sebba who's written a new biography about Ethel Rosenberg, the first in 40 years.It's the time of year, when more of your body is on show and you might head to your local beauticians for a wax or pedicure or other treatment. How do you react when your teen or tween is starting to show an interest? What would you say if your 12 year old wanted to shave her legs or get rid of unwanted hair on her face or body? What about treatments like facials or if they asked to get things like eyelash extensions. Treatments are often now marketed as mother/daughter bonding experiences. How do you feel about that? Do you think there are other activities we should be encouraged to bond over. When's the right time and what's the right way to talk to your child about beauty treatments - if you should at all. Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell

Baroness Julia Cumberlege, who led a critical review into how the health service has treated female patients, says she is angry and frustrated that not enough progress has been made. A year ago her report looked into two drugs and a medical device which caused women or their babies harm. It made a list of recommendations to support victims and prevent future, avoidable damage. The four UK governments are still considering the recommendations. Baroness Cumberlege joins Emma.It’s been four weeks of competition that concluded last night when England lost to Italy in the final. Despite the ultimate outcome, the Euro 2020 men's football competition really seemed to capture the imagination of many, and was a much needed tonic after a year and a half of the Covid pandemic ruling our lives. Emma speaks to a panel of female football experts about what all this momentum could mean for the future of the women's game. Dr Martha Newson is a cognitive anthropologist at the Universities of Kent and Oxford, and has researched the behaviour of football fans around the world; Faye White was Captain of the England’s women’s team who got to the finals of the 2009 Euros; Kelly Simmons is director of the Women’s Professional game at the FA and Seema Jaswal has been one of ITV's main hosts of the Euros.The Engender Festival begins today and celebrates the work of women and gender minorities while seeking equality across all sectors of opera, both on and backstage. Creative Producer for The Royal Opera and founder of the Engender Festival Kate Wyatt talks about changing the gender imbalance in opera and music theatre. Emma is also joined by Artistic Director of Pegasus Opera Alison Buchanan who conceived Mami Wata, a concert which brings together a range of diverse composers. Last Friday the police officer Wayne Couzens pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to murdering Sarah Everard, the 33 year old marketing executive who went missing on her walk home in March of this year. He has yet to be sentenced. It seems there were clues that Wayne Couzens was a risk. There have been flashing allegations: one alleged to have happened just a few days before he abducted Sarah. The Daily Mail wrote that he was once reported for driving naked from the waist down, and colleagues nicknamed him "the rapist". Emma speaks to Emily Spurrell, Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside, who believes officers should be trained to spot signs of misogyny within their own ranks.

Lady Lavinia Nourse, the 77-year-old widow of the High Court judge Sir Martin Nourse was cleared of all 17 counts of historical child sex abuse involving a boy under the age of 12. In her first broadcast interview, she tells Emma about the case and why she's calling for those accused of child abuse to be granted anonymity until charged.There is a huge shortage of road hauliers in the UK. But of the half a million licensed lorry drivers, only 5% are women. Why is this? And what would encourage more women to get behind the wheel? Driver Suzy Mackenzie and Kate Lester, the Chief Executive of Diamond Logistics discuss.The Prime Minister has confirmed the end of Britain's mission in Afghanistan. It follows the decision by US President Joe Biden to withdraw US troops by September 11th. But what lies ahead for women? And what's changed for them since foreign troops entered the country in late 2001? Krupa speaks to Mahjooba Nowrouzi from the BBC Afghan Service and Dr Weeda Mehran, a lecturer in Terrorism and Conflict at the University of Exeter.Caitlin Moran is a journalist and columnist at The Times. Her first book ‘How to Be a Woman” was hugely successful. She discusses the sequel ‘More than a Woman’, giving her take on middle age, parenting, and why everyone needs a 'Janet' in their life. British comic Gina Yashere has made it big on both sides of the Atlantic. A veteran of the UK comedy scene, she's also had huge success in the US. Now she's just released, a memoir called 'Cack-Handed' in which she writes about growing up as a child of Nigerian immigrants in London.And footie with Emma Hayes, Chelsea Women Manager, who was part of the TV commentary team at the England v Denmark semi final. And Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon, two members of Atomic Kitten sing us some of their song, Whole Again, reversioned for the England team.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Dianne McGregor

British comic Gina Yashere has made it big on both sides of the Atlantic. A veteran of the UK comedy scene, she's also had huge success in the US. Now she's just released her first book, a memoir called 'Cack-Handed' in which she writes about growing up as a child of Nigerian immigrants in working-class London, and how this unique background helped her to make it in Hollywood. The Prime Minister confirmed yesterday the end of Britain's mission in Afghanistan. It follows the decision by US President Joe Biden to withdraw US troops by September 11th. But what lies ahead for women? And what's changed for them since foreign troops entered the country in late 2001? Krupa speaks to Mahjooba Nowrouzi from the BBC Afghan Service and Dr Weeda Mehran, a lecturer in Terrorism and Conflict at the University of Exeter.As England reach the finals of Euro 2020, we look at the story behind the term 'WAGs', or Wives and Girlfriends. There are some easily recognisable names on that list from Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Coleen Rooney. But how did it all start, and should the term be seen as insulting or out of date? Sam Kimberley is the author of The Wag Wars: The Glamorous Story of Footballers Wives', and Lizzie Cundy is a former "WAG", and now a radio and TV presenter.Helen Epega is the multi-talented Nigerian-British rapper turned performance artist. She is the founder and lead singer of The Venus Bushfires, behind the world's first opera written in Pidgin English – Song Queen, and she has written music for Christian Dior, PlayStation and Disney. She joins Krupa to discuss her latest work, ‘Sounds of Us: A Sound Art Snapshot - Life, Love, Fear, Hope & Protest In The Time Of Pandemic Lockdown’. Presented by Krupa Padhy Produce by Frankie Tobi

The Footie! England's through to the final of the Euros after a nail biting match against Denmark last night. We speak to Emma Hayes, Chelsea Women Manager who was on the TV commentary team last night; to Jacqui Oatley who's commentated for World Cups and European Championships for both the BBC and ITV, and to Jane Merrick, Policy Editor at the i newspaper who tweeted last night about loving the celebration. We also hear from 2 members of Atomic Kitten, who sing us some of their song, Whole Again, specially reversioned for the England team. We talk about money with Otegha Uwagba. She's got a new book called We Need To Talk About Money.At the end of last month Bill Cosby was freed from prison after serving less than three years of a potential ten year sentence. Accused by more than 60 women of rape or sexual assault he's always maintained his innocence. Victoria Valentino was one of those women who made allegations but didn’t speak up for 45 years. She tells Emma her story. And contraception and environmentalism. If your pill, coil or condoms came with a message about how having fewer children is better for the environment, how would you feel about it? The idea of limiting or controlling the number of people on the planet is highly controversial but there are academics and specialists in women's reproductive rights who think now is the time to restart the conversation about having smaller families. Emma speaks to journalist and commentator, Ella Whelan, and to Professor of Policy, Systems and Reproductive Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Susannah Mayhew.

Lady Lavinia Nourse is calling for those accused of child abuse to be granted anonymity until charged. Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Hour just over a month after she was cleared of child sex abuse, the 77-year-old widow of the High Court judge Sir Martin Nourse was cleared of all 17 counts of historical child sex abuse involving a boy under the age of 12. In her first broadcast interview, she tells Emma Barnett what she wants to achieve by speaking out, and the trauma of the ordeal. Emma is also joined by Lady Nourse’s legal representative Sandra Paul from Kingsley Napley.A new study on a risk model that may improve the prediction of preterm birth has just been published. Researchers say predicting the signs and symptoms of preterm labour make it challenging to diagnose - and often times this leads to unnecessary treatment such as extra tests, bed rest or even hospitalisation which can be both common and costly. Lead author, Dr Sarah Stock from the University of Edinburgh hopes it's going to improve decision making for women and clinicians around what to do if someone has some signs and symptoms of preterm labour.This week in an historic first, 58-year-old Elisa Loncon from Chile’s indigenous Mapuche people was chosen to lead the drafting of the country’s new constitution . The new constitution will replace the one inherited from Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, blamed for the high levels of inequality, social injustice, and high cost of living that sparked deadly protests across the country in 2019 and beyond. Constanza Hola, a Chilean journalist working for the BBC World Service, joins Emma to discuss.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Frankie Tobi

There is currently a huge shortage of road hauliers in the UK. According to the Road Haulage Association, up to 100,000 more lorry drivers are needed to transport the food, medicines and equipment vital to the UK economy. It’s estimated that 95% of all the products we consume are at some point moved around by road freight. And with Brexit, the Suez Canal blockage, and coronavirus restrictions causing big logistical issues, more people are urgently needed…. But of the half a million licensed lorry drivers, only 5% are women. Why is this? And what would encourage more women to get behind the wheel? Emma speaks to driver Suzy Mackenzie and Kate Lester, the Chief Executive of Diamond Logistics.Disappointment is a fact of life, but that doesn't make it any easier when it comes. At last night's Wimbledon, 18 year old British wildcard Emma Raducanu had to retire from her last-16 match after suffering apparent breathing difficulties. Although we're still not sure exactly what happened, it's not a huge leap of imagination to say that she'll be disappointed to see the end of her dream debut. But what can us mere mortals take from it? Annabel Croft, BBC tennis commentator and former British number one, and Julia Samuels, psychotherapist and author of 'This Too Will Pass: Stories of Crisis, Change and Hopeful Beginnings', talk about the nature of disappointment and the strategies we can use to pick ourselves up again.Caitlin Moran is a journalist and columnist at The Times. Her first book ‘How to Be a Woman” came out in 2011 and has sold more than a million copies in 28 countries. The sequel ‘More than a Woman’ came out last year and is out in paperback today. She is currently on a live UK tour and joins Emma to talk about motherhood, daughters, female friendship and coming to terms with getting older.Maternity services in England are failing mothers and babies leading to hundreds of avoidable deaths each year, according to a damning report by the Health and Social Care committee on maternity safety in England. It also describes a "debilitating culture of blame" preventing lessons being learned from previous tragedies. Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary and chair of the committee pointed out that 1,000 more babies a year would survive if England's maternity services were as safe as Sweden's. The committee's report found although maternity safety had improved, the deaths of a number of newborn babies at several hospitals in recent years were a reminder that much more needs to be done. Emma is joined by Dame Professor Lesley Regan, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Mary’s, Imperial College and past President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Studies have found that men are more reluctant than women to wear face covers. So, in a couple of weeks when restrictions are likely to be lifted, making it a personal choice, what are we likely to see happen. Emma talks to Christina Gravert, behavioural economist from the University of Copenhagen.Labour’s Yvette Cooper tells Emma about an amendment she's tabling today to the Police Courts Crime and Sentencing Bill to try to change the law on common assault. Critics of the law are concerned that cases need to be filed within six months otherwise they’re “timed out” meaning vulnerable women can fail to get justice.Strictly Come Dancing co-host and BBC presenter Claudia Winkleman has released her first book, Quite. She joins Emma to talk about Strictly, parenthood and how being perfect is boring.A woman who has Down's Syndrome is taking the government to Court this week. Heidi Carter is fighting for a change in the law around termination and Down's Syndrome. Currently, the time limit to terminate a pregnancy is 24 weeks. But if the foetus has Down Syndrome, then that shifts right up to birth. Heidi wants the time limit to be set at 24 weeks for all pregnancies. She's supported by Maire Lea Wilson whose son, Aidan, has Down's Syndrome.Lillie Harris is a successful young composer who graduated with a First Class degree from the Royal College of Music in 2016, after winning the Elgar Memorial Prize for her final portfolio. Tonight two of her works will be premiered at this year’s Cheltenham Music Festival. She joins Emma to explain the inspirations behind her choral piece and her trumpet fanfare.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

The novelist Libby Scott has just released her third novel ‘Ways to Be Me’ in collaboration with the author Rebecca Westcott. Along with her mum she tells us about her new book and it’s realistic portrayal of autism, and her own diagnosis at the age of 10. The presenter, journalist and “Queen of Mean”, Anne Robinson, tells us about becoming the first female host of Channel 4’s longest running series CountdownWe discuss why the future of the high street needs to put women at the centre of its design and overall regeneration. Mary Portas has done a TED talk and podcast arguing for a new approach by business and customers and has now written a book about it all called “Rebuild”. Suzannah Clarke has published new research saying women are responsible for 85% of spending on the High Street and they need to be taken into account in future planning if the downward trends are to be reversed. Eilidh Doyle is Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete of all time. The Olympic, World and European medal holder had hoped to compete in the Olympics in Tokyo this month but instead announced her retirement from competitive athletics. She tells us about coming to that decision about retirement and why she is involved in a project with Abertay University, where elite athletes and sporting figures share their experiences of unexpected setbacks and coping strategies with people who have been negatively impacted by Covid. And the writer Emily Rapp Black, whose left leg was amputated at the age of four due to a congenital defect, tells us about the instant connection she felt with the artist Frida Kahlo. Her new book ‘Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg’ describes how Emily has made sense of her own life and body. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Louise Corley

Rachel Weisz seems to have had constant work in the film industry since the early nineties. She's been in all kind of films: historical, action, science fiction, serious, art-house. Now she's diving into the world of superheroes with the new Marvel film, 'Black Widow'. Anita speaks to her about her latest role.The nation is transfixed - after many years of hurt could England be on the road to winning a major trophy? Football journalist Flo Lloyd-Hughes joins Anita.Sri Lankan author Kanya d'Almeida has been named the Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winner of 2021. Her winning piece, "I Cleaned The-" features two women who share a room in a refuge run by nuns, for people who have nowhere else to go. Kanya talks to Anita about her winning story, motherhood, mental health and paying for childcare in Sri Lanka.Northern Ireland politics is stuck. Continued disagreements between the power-sharing parties have led to stagnation in the Northern Irish Assembly, leaving lots of services in the lurch, including access to abortion for Northern Irish women. Now a charity, which is the first port of call for those who want an early medical abortion, says if they don't get funding they'll have to stop.Emily Rapp Black felt an instant connection with the artist Frida Kahlo after seeing her famous painting 'The Two Fridas'. At the age of four, Emily’s left leg was amputated due to a congenital birth defect. In her new book ‘Frida Kahlo And My Left Leg’, she explores the legacy, life and art of Frida Kahlo which helped her to make sense of her own life and body. Emily writes about the trauma of her son’s death and the current discourse and attitudes around disability.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Frankie Tobi

The future of the High Street looked challenging before the pandemic but as shops have reopened it’s become evident how urgent the situation now is. Many brands or their outlets have gone bankrupt or moved online. More than a decade ago Mary Portas outlined this trend with a government review into the problem, but she is now urging people to rethink their whole relationship with shopping and consumerism and move towards a 'kindness economy' as we come out of the lockdown. She has now written a book about this called Rebuild. She joins Krupa Padhy to discuss, alongside Suzannah Clarke who has published research saying women are the key to the regeneration of the High Street economy. Women are responsible for 85% of spending there and she says they need to be taken into account in future planning if the downward trends are to be reversed.Eilidh Doyle is Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete of all time. The Olympic, World and European medal holder had hoped to compete in the Olympics in Tokyo this month but instead announced – at the age of 34 - her retirement from competitive athletics. She talks to Krupa about knowing when to stop, and becoming involved in a new project with Abertay University, where elite athletes and sporting figures such as Judy Murray and Tanni-Grey Thompson share their experiences of unexpected setbacks and coping strategies with people who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19. School summer holidays are looming in England and Wales and in Scotland and Northern Ireland they have already begun. But what provision is there for the children of working parents who need local, affordable and well-run holiday childcare? There are rumours of patchy availability, often with a high cost. So what impact is this having on parents? Ahead of the results of their annual survey on this – Megan Jarvie, Head of Coram Family and Childcare joins Krupa along with Rebekah Jackson, Director of the Out of School Alliance. 14 year old Mackenzy Beard from Swansea has had a painting selected for exhibition at the Royal Academy, as part of their Young Artists' Summer Show. The work will be on display online and in London from 13th July. Mackenzy joins Krupa to talk about her inspiration for the piece.Do plants have a memory? Yes, according to the pioneering research of Professor Dame Caroline Dean, a plant biologist who has spent more than thirty years looking into how plants remember seasons, and what this can tell us. She’s just been awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize in Agriculture, which is considered by some to be the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in agriculture. Caroline joins Krupa to talk through her extraordinary work and career.Image: Mary Portas Credit: Josh Shinner

The work of female rangers protecting wildlife from poachers. Collet Ngobeni of The Black Mambas and Holly Budge of How Many Elephants discuss.The Chief Inspector of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman on the problem of sexual harassment and abuse in schools, and what needs to be done to bring about change.Jackie Collins was one of the most successful female authors of all time but often just dismissed as the Queen of Sleaze. We hear from Jackie's eldest daughter, Tracy Lerman and from Laura Fairrie, director of the new film Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins story. Laurel Hubbard will be the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics. She's part of the New Zealand women's weightlifting team. She qualifies on the basis that her testosterone levels have been kept below a certain level for at least a year. But how does a reduction in testosterone affect other aspects of the body - such as muscle mass and strength? We hear from Joanna Harper, a PhD researcher at Loughborough University.A new £50 note featuring the Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing has just been launched. Debbie Marriott is the first ever female banknote designer at the Bank of England, and explains the work that goes into making the notes. Elizabeth Packard was an ordinary 19th century American housewife and mother of six, whose husband had her declared 'slightly insane' and put in an asylum after daring to voice her opinions. Elizabeth embarked on a ceaseless quest for justice, both inside and outside the asylum. Kate Moore has written 'The Woman They Could Not Silence' about this fascinating but little known woman. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

The Labour and Cooperative MP Stella Creasy is threatening legal action over her forthcoming maternity leave cover. Backbench MPs are currently allowed to take informal maternity leave, but not all their duties are covered during their absence. For instance they can employ office staff to help with constituency issues Ms Creasy says she’s currently only being offered two thirds of her salary to employ a suitable replacement but she says that won’t cover important tasks like meeting Ministers, media work or doing school visits. Also a replacement is unable to speak in the House of Commons or attend parliamentary committees. Ms Creasy has said: "I think every woman should be able to have paid maternity cover, proper cover - it's not just about being paid, it's that somebody else will be doing that job.”She may just be 13 years old but Libby Scott has just released her third novel ‘Ways to Be Me’ in collaboration with the author Rebecca Westcott. Along with the hugely successful Can You See Me? and Do you Know Me?, the three novels feature the story of Tally who is autistic. The books have been widely praised for their realistic portrayal of autism. Although not autobiographical Tally’s story is partly based on Libby’s own experiences of being autistic herself. This latest one - a prequel to Can You See Me? - goes back in time to the period just before she gets a diagnosis age 10. Libby and her mum Kym join Chloe.A humanitarian ceasefire has just been called but since November last year the fighting between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and government forces in Ethiopia has left thousands of people dead. More than two million have been displaced and 350,000 pushed towards famine. There are reports of women who were kidnapped by soldiers and held as sexual slaves. Chloe discusses the situation with BBC Africa Correspondent in Nairobi - Vivienne Nunis and Rita Kahsay, co-ordinator of the Tigray Youth Network based in the UK.Fertility clinics in the UK are removing an unsafe number of eggs from women hoping to have IVF, according to a new study. Looking at data from UK fertility clinics between 2015 and 2018, researchers found that some were retrieving far too many eggs from women, reporting cases of up to 50 eggs being removed in a single procedure. The ideal 'safe yield' is around 12 eggs. Chloe Tilley discusses the implications with Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at the Institute of Women's health at UCL, and the author of Your Fertile Years. As we know travellers are obliged to quarantine in a hotel at their own cost after returning from countries on the UK's red list, where Covid infection rates are high. They spend 10 nights in their room and are allowed out for daily exercise only when accompanied by a guard. Private security companies have been hired by the government to ensure hotel guests observe quarantine rules. Kathy Godolphin had a disturbing experience saying she experienced sexual harassment at a hotel after returning from working on a conservation and anti-poaching project in Zimbabwe. She joins Chloe Tilley to discuss the aftermath of that ten days.Presented by Chloe Tilley Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Beverley Purcell

Sports psychologist Dr Josephine Perry has some insight into what makes athletes tick, but wasn't prepared for what happened to her yesterday morning when she was doing laps at a swimming pool. A man she had overtaken pulled her under water by her feet and held her down, before shouting at her. When she shared the incident on social media her timeline filled up with women saying similar things had happened to them.“Purity Culture” is a term used in conservative households that attempts to promote a biblical view of purity by discouraging dating and promoting virginity before marriage. Chloe speaks to two young women – Chrissie and Kirtika – about their own experiences of growing up in households that promoted purity culture.On Thursday it'll be 100 years since the Plumage Act banned the importation of feathers for use in hat-making. At its peak in the late 1800s, the trade in plumage was placing over 60 bird species at risk of extinction. But then a group of women, led by Emily Williamson, started a 30-year campaign to ban feathers from fashion. Beccy Speight from the RSPB is hoping a series of campaigns will bring Emily Williamson's achievements back to life. Attitudes towards corporal punishment have shifted significantly in recent decades, such that smacking is now banned in 59 countries around the world. That includes Scotland, where a smacking ban came in last year, and a similar ban is due to come into force in Wales in 2022. New research out today from University College London suggests England should follow their lead.Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer: Frankie Tobi

The presenter, journalist and “Queen of Mean”, Anne Robinson, is best known for her acerbic style of presenting on 'The Weakest Link'. In the 1960s she was the first young female trainee on the Daily Mail, worked at the Sunday Times and the Daily Mirror, and went on to host programmes from Points of View to Watchdog. Today Anne takes up the Countdown reins as the first female host of Channel 4’s longest running series. She will join numbers whizz, Rachel Riley and wordsmith, Susie Dent, to make a formidable female trio. She joins Chloe Tilley.Last week the government voted down proposals to make it illegal to film or photograph someone breastfeeding without their consent. MP’s like Stella Creasy, who has experienced this herself when teenage boys took photos of her as she breast fed her baby while on a train, and the MP Jeff Smith, wanted to make an amendment to the Voyeurism Act of 2019 - more commonly known as the Up-skirting Act - which focused on making it illegal to take photos and films of the lower part of the body or ‘up a skirt’. This recent proposal is for a simple amendment to be made to the 2019 Act to include the upper body and so protect breastfeeding mums. In April this year Julia Cooper found a man taking photos of her as she breast fed her baby in the park. When Gwen Strauss' aunt Hélène was in her 80's she nonchalantly mentioned at lunch that she had led a band of women in an escape from a Nazi death march, in the dying days of the war in Europe in 1945. The women were all members of the French Resistance, although two were Dutch and one Spanish. Gwen embarked on a search for these women, scouring France and Germany to track down their records, their families and their memories. Gwen – an award-winning children’s book author - has now painstakingly reconstructed what happened in her new book 'The Nine'.The reality TV dating show Love Island is back on our screens. The show is undeniably popular and creates many water cooler moments, but what can it actually tell us about modern love and dating? We speak to journalist, podcaster, and author of new book 'Millennial Love', Olivia Petter and Nichi Hodgson, author of 'The Curious History of Dating', about how important the series might be in helping millennials and Gen Z find true love after lockdown. Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Anne Robinson Interviewed Guest: Julia Cooper Interviewed Guest: Gwen Strauss Interviewed Guest: Olivia Petter Interviewed Guest: Nichi Hodgson

Anita Rani with Bank Note designer Debbie Marriott, Protecting the title "nurse", Author Kate Moore & "Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner"Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Managers: Emma Harth * Gayl Gordon

Britney Spears spoke publicly in a LA court yesterday about the conservatorship that she sees as controlling her life. Her father was granted control over her affairs after she went to hospital because of mental health concerns. Now she says her father controls her "100,000%" and told the judge she was traumatised and cried every day. "I just want my life back," she said. We talk to BBC Newsbeat reporter Lindsay Brown and the writer Pandora Sykes who presents a soon to be released, eight-part podcast series called Pieces of Britney.We talk about Jackie Collins who was often dismissed as the Queen of Sleaze but she's one of the most successful female authors of all time. But who really was the woman behind the glamour? A new film is coming out about her called Lady Boss, so we talk to the film director Laurie Fairrie as well as Jackie's eldest daughter, Tracy Lerman. This week we had International Women in Engineering Day, so today we celebrate some of our future scientists. Three of them have just won the GSK Young Engineer and Young Scientist of the Year awards. We speak to Kaede Sugano, Saashi Ghaie and Serena Jacob.And weddings. We get the latest information about what you can and can't do if you're having a wedding soon, and we also speak to Marjorie Wallace who's just got married at 78.

Nightclubs are shut, dancing at weddings is not allowed and gigs and festivals are still uncertain. If you want to dance you have to do it at home. Woman's Hour shares your DIY dancing stories and gets tips from Guilty Pleasures DJ, Sean Rowley and Strictly dancer, Amy Dowden. Laurel Hubbard is going to be the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics which starts next month. It's controversial, and she'll make history. She'll be part of the New Zealand women's weightlifting team at Tokyo. Laurel came out as transgender in 2013 - and qualifies for the Olympics on the basis that her testosterone levels have been kept below a certain level for at least a year. But how does a reduction in testosterone affect other aspects of the body - such as haemoglobin levels, muscle mass and strength - that could influence competitive performance? And what research is needed to help inform the balance between inclusivity and meaningful competition in sport? Joanna Harper, a PhD researcher at Loughborough University talks about her latest study.Imagine having your home destroyed, losing your livelihood, and then being intimidated by those now on the land. That’s what hundreds of women in Western Uganda say has happened to them; they were violently evicted from their homes to make way for a sugar plantation. In an investigation for Woman's Hour, they've told us they are now left with no option but to live in extremely poor conditions in a makeshift camp, where they face physical and sexual abuse from the plantation workers. To make things worse, many of their husbands have abandoned them while they find employment elsewhere. The UK provides overseas aid for these woman as they fight for compensation for their lost land. But, that UK funding is due to end soon, even though after five years a legal dispute over the land is still unresolved. Two novels - one published tomorrow and one just out in paperback explore the human impact of environmental disaster through the lives of girls and women. They both ask - what is really important to us? What lasts when everything we think we need is stripped away? Kate Sawyer, author of 'The Stranding', her first novel, and Diane Cook, whose book 'The New Wilderness' was shortlisted for The Booker Prize last year, discuss their work.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Joanna Harper Interviewed Guest: Sean Rowley Interviewed Guest: Amy Dowden Interviewed Guest: Sostine Namanya Interviewed Guest: Kate Sawyer Interviewed Guest: Diane Cook

Wednesday will be the first ever World Female Ranger Day, celebrating the work of female rangers around the world who do an important but ultimately dangerous job protecting wildlife from poachers. The emphasis this year is on the work of female rangers in Africa where there are approximately 3,500 female rangers in teams in 18 countries all over the continent working to protect endangered wildlife. One of those women is Collet Ngobeni of the all-female team The Black Mambas in South Africa. Emma also speaks to Holly Budge, the founder of the charity How Many Elephants.Miscarriage is a unique type of grief - occurring in one in four pregnancies - and yet it still often goes unacknowledged. Women usually wait 12 weeks before announcing a pregnancy so if they experience miscarriage early on it can be an extremely distressing and lonely experience. For women who do choose to share the news and then discover they have miscarried, it means having to inform family and friends who may find it difficult to know the right thing to say. National Director Ruth Bender Atik talks about a new series of cards launched by The Miscarriage Association to specifically acknowledge the sadness of miscarriage and give people an opportunity to acknowledge it in a sensitive way. She is joined by Gemma Rundell who designed empathy cards that she wished were available after she had three miscarriages.Under-18s who want nude pictures or videos of themselves removed from the internet can now report the images through an online tool - being billed as a world first. The new service comes from the Internet Watch Foundation and Childline and aims to help children who have been groomed, or whose partners have posted photos of them online without their consent. In recent years, the Foundation says it has noticed more and more of these types of images that have been created by children themselves. In the first three months of this year, 38,000 self-generated images were reported. Emma speaks to Susie Hargreaves, the head of the Internet Watch Foundation.Boric acid is a white powder that can do everything from getting stains out of clothes and stopping your fridge smelling, to killing ants and cockroaches. But if you look for boric acid on social media, there's another use - as a vaginal pessary to supposedly treat thrush-like infections and bacterial vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis is common, isn't considered a sexually transmitted infection, and isn't typically serious. But Dr Jen Gunter, a Canadian-American gynaecologist and author of the Vagina Bible says she's seen an increase in the use of boric acid vaginal pessaries among her patients over the past few years, paralleling what she calls an ‘explosion’ of new over the counter boric acid products and heavy marketing from celebrities, influencers, naturopaths, and functional medicine providers.Ana Diamond spent 200 days in prison in solitary confinement at the age of 19, after travelling from home in the UK to visit her grandmother in Iran. She was held in a tiny windowless cell in Evin prison, Tehran, in the same block as the Iranian British charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The guards interrogated and taunted her saying the only place she would ever graduate from was Evin prison. But this weekend she has been celebrating having scored a first from Kings College and receiving a scholarship to study for a postgraduate degree at Oxford University. Emma talks to Ana about moving forward after such a traumatic and life changing experience.

The Chief Inspector of Schools Amanda Spielman, talks to Emma Barnett about the problem of sexual abuse in schools and colleges and reflects on what needs to be done to bring about change. Divya Chadha Manek who has just been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List tells us about her work with the Vaccine Taskforce, and Dr Jen Gunter, an American gynaecologist, obstetrician and author of 'The Vagina Bible' explains how Boric Acid Pessaries are being used to treat bacterial vaginosis . Do men need to actively become allies to the women they work with to stop sexism and discrimination? Would challenging behaviours that disadvantage female colleagues - from interrupting women in meetings to making assumptions about the career opportunities they want - make a difference? Emma talks to Hira Ali, a leadership trainer and author of a new book called 'Her Allies' and to Gary Ford who has co-written 'The Accidental Sexist', a handbook for men on workplace diversity.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Tim Heffer

Composer Shirley J. Thompson is the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years. She tells us about her new work Emanation, which she’s written for the disabled-led ensemble BSO.Dame Darcey Bussell Former Principal of The Royal Ballet & Strictly Judge, President of the RAD & creator of Diversity Dance Mix, Dame Darcey Bussell tells us about her mission to rescue Britain’s ballet dancers and raise spirits and money for struggling dance companies by creating the British Ballet Charity Gala at the Royal Albert Hall in London bringing together eight ballet companies in one evening of dance.We discuss the results of a BBC Freedom of Information request which asked police forces in the UK how many police had been accused of sexual misconduct. We hear from our reporter Melanie Abbott, from Ruth a former officer who found herself being sexually assaulted by a colleague and Harriet Wistrich from the Centre for Women’s Justice.This year the government has announced an extra 19 million pounds for domestic abuse schemes in England and Wales the majority of which will go to towards perpetrator programmes. . But just how effective are they? We hear from John who has just completed a 20 week domestic violence prevention programme at the Hampton Trust and to Vicky Gilroy who is a facilitator on those prevention programmes at the Trust.In today’s online digital world everything we do now on our phones or our computers—everything we look at, click on or say online—becomes “data”. Companies and governments increasingly share and use this information to make decisions about our lives. A small UK based team of experts called Foxglove is challenging how our data’s used and they’ve had some remarkable successes over the last year. It’s director Cori Crider tells us how the group successfully challenged the A Level grading algorithm last year.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Siobhann Tighe

Dame Darcey Bussell is the former Principal of The Royal Ballet & Strictly Judge, President of the RAD & creator of Diversity Dance Mix. She joins Anita to talk about her passion for dance and her mission to rescue Britain’s ballet dancers, and raise spirits and money for struggling dance companies, by creating the British Ballet Charity Gala. The event was performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London bringing together eight ballet companies in one evening of dance. It will be pay per view streamed from 7pm tonight and available on demand until 18 July.This Sunday is Father’s Day, and a new film out today on Netflix – ‘Fatherhood’ - explores the life of a single father raising his daughter. What is it like for the men who are lone parents? And how do young women feel growing up without a mother? Anita speaks to two fathers, and their daughters, to share their stories.The government has just published its delayed review into how the criminal justice system deals with rape in England and Wales. It comes after charges, prosecutions and convictions for rape fell over the last five years and looks at every part of the system from when an allegation is made to whether or not it makes it trial and then conviction. A crucial part of the legal chain is the Crown Prosecution Service which decides which cases go forward for trial based on the available evidence. The head of the CPS is the Director of the Public Prosecutions – currently Max Hill QC. He joins Anita to discuss the government’s review and their own plans for increasing conviction rates.Presented by Anita Rani Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

Composer Shirley J. Thompson is the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years - New Nation Rising, A 21st Century Symphony, which was originally commissioned for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, and then used for the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. She’s now composed a new work, Emanation, which she’s written for the disabled-led ensemble BSO Resound. The ensemble is giving a live-streamed performance of the world premiere from Lighthouse, Poole.Earlier this week, Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi at a Jewish college in New York. But as a woman, her ordination is not recognised by the Orthodox community in the UK. She is also no longer able to teach at the London School of Jewish Studies. Lindsey talks to Emma about the positive role of women within Orthodox Judaism and why she thinks opinion on female rabbis is starting to change. However, hers is by no means a position shared by all women within the community. Rachie Binstock explains why she is comfortable with the tradition of male-only rabbis when it comes to her faith.What do you look for in a good pair of pants? Advertisers have long told us that lacy, barely-there luxury is what all women want. But high on the priority list for most women is almost certainly comfort. However, experiencing the simple pleasure of a well-fitting bra and pants is not something accessible to all women everywhere. BBC Urdu reporter Saher Baloch talks to Emma about the uncomfortable problem of female underwear in Pakistan, and Qamar Zaman from underwear manufacturer Amami Clothing explains the taboo hampering efforts to bring about change.

The singer-songwriter Jessie Ware was nominated for Female Solo Artist and Album of the Year at this Year’s BRIT Awards. She was also included in Barack Obama’s favourite music playlist of 2020. Jessie has been busy in lockdown recording new songs for the deluxe Platinum Pleasure edition of her hit album What's Your Pleasure? In tandem with her music career, her family’s passion for food led to her weekly podcast Table Manners with her mother Lennie, and she has just released her second book - Omelette - a loving gaze of life through eating and food. She joins Emma to discuss some of her favourite food memories from white bread and spaghetti Bolognese to chopped and fried fish – and omelettes.A few weeks ago the Times newspaper published the results of an investigation which said that the Police and social services were failing thousands of girls as young as 11 who had been repeatedly reported missing while at risk of sexual abuse. One child in West Yorkshire had ‘disappeared’ 197 times in three years. We speak to Kelly, who was one of those regularly disappearing from the children’s homes she lived in in the 1990’s, about the impact the lack of intervention at the time has had on her life. Now volunteering as an ambassador for the Maggie Oliver Foundation, supporting other young women who have had similar life experiences, she concurs with the Times research believing these vulnerable young people are continuing to be let down. As a campaigner in this area for many years, Maggie Oliver explains what she thinks needs to happen going forward to stop the continued abuse and exploitation. They are joined by Charlotte Ramsden, President of the Association of Children's Services.Women football fans of Norwich City have persuaded their club to drop sexist and degrading images attached to a sponsorship deal, despite it being very lucrative. Norwich City has got rid of a sponsorship worth £5 million. The content that was considered offensive was on the Youtube and Instagram sites of an Asian online gambling company called BK8. Eddie Mullan is a big fan of Norwich City, so much so she makes banners for the matches with a group called Along Comes Norwich and Simon Stone is the BBC Sport reporter. Gemma Barnett has won the spoken word category of the new Poetry for Good competition, the UK’s first nationwide poetry awards launched in celebration of key workers for her poem The Front Desk. Gemma is an actor but as theatres began to close last year with COVID she realised she needed to get another job – finding work as a GP’s receptionist. She wrote this poem in admiration of the female team who worked there. Emma hears about Gemma’s experiences and hears her poem.

Summer’s here and despite the restrictions still in place on social gathering we’re still managing to meet up with friends and enjoy the odd night out. One aspect of that is of course looking your best and a big part of that is your hair, which has had to take a backseat in terms of grooming and maintenance over the last eighteen months of lockdowns. But, we are returning to salons and apparently trying lots of new and old styles, as well as getting more creative with colour. Hair stylist Nicky Clarke gives Emma Barnett a summer make over and Camilla Kay from Glamour Magazine points out the trends including seventies flicks and “big hair” and the “Shullet” – the modern take on the mullet.Most of us would think of the police as a safe place to turn to in a time of need. But it's a belief that has been seriously questioned by a couple of incidents over the past year. In a joint investigation with Newsnight we asked police forces in the UK, how many police had been accused of sexual misconduct. Of course most police officers do their jobs with integrity and honesty but campaigners say some of the results were worrying. Our reporter Melanie Abbott has been looking at this.Shamima Begum, Kimberly Polman and Hoda Muthana are just a few of the names who made headline news around the world after leaving their homes in the West to join the so called Islamic State. With rare access to the detention camp in Northern Syria, Alba Sotorra Clua's new film 'The Return: Life After ISIS' features some of the women who devoted their lives to the group and who feel they should be given the chance to start over, back home in the West.MP Jess Phillips is calling for there to be less shame around HPV – a sexually transmitted infection that she had in her twenties. Most sexually active people will contract HPV but won’t know they have it. For 90% of people it clears up but for others it can be serious. Jess Phillips found out she had HPV when she was 22 and pregnant and is talking about this to raise awareness for Cervical Cancer Screening Awareness week. Dr Sarah Jarvis also joins Emma.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Harriet Wistrich Interviewed Guest: Nicky Clarke Interviewed Guest: Camilla Kay Photographer: Daniel Thomas Smith from Glamour Interviewed Guest: Alba Sotorra Clua Interviewed Guest: Jess Phillips Interviewed Guest: Dr Sarah Jarvis

We hear many stories of domestic abuse but rarely from those who have been the perpetrators. John, who's just completed a 20 week domestic violence prevention programme at the Hampton Trust, speaks out to encourage other men to seek help. He's joined by Vicky Gilroy who's a facilitator on the prevention programmes at the Hampton Trust .In today’s online digital world everything we do now on our phones or our computers—everything we look at, click on or say online, becomes “data”. Companies and governments increasingly share and use this information. A small UK based team of experts called Foxglove is challenging how our data’s used . Cori Crider a Director at Foxglove talks about how amongst other things the group successfully challenged the A Level grading algorithm last year,Plus as we mark Refugee Week Hella Pick joins us to talk about life as a Kindertransport survivor. She went on to carve out a hugely successful career in journalism. In her 35 year career she's reported on everything from the assassination of President Kennedy to the closing stages of the Cold War. In her book " Invisible Walls A Journalist in Search of Her Life", she explores her life as a female journalist and her struggles with identity.And scientific experts have urged the government to consider delaying 'Freedom Day' from the original planned Step 4 date following a rise in cases of the Delta variant. This will be devastating news for many of those working in the hospitality industry. To discuss the reaction and implications by Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, and Kirsty McCall, a make up artist who yesterday announced the closing of her business after 15 years.Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell.

Paloma Faith on combining motherhood with her music as well as her reaction to the OFSTED survey that sexual harassment of schoolchildren has become normalised in schools. Her new single Monster is about her relationship with her career.What's the best way to stamp out sexual harassment in the workplace? We discuss with Stella Chandler, Director of Development at Focal Point Training which runs in person workplace behavioural courses that includes sexual harassment, and Deeba Syed, a lawyer who set up and manages the sexual harassment at work advice line at Rights of Women. The new figurehead known as Nannie is now being installed on the famous ship, the Cutty Sark: the tea clipper that resides in a specially designed dry dock in Greenwich next to the river Thames in London. Why is the figurehead of a ship often a woman? Louise Macfarlane is senior curator at the Cutty Sark.The Health Minister Nadine Dorries on the public call for evidence for England's first women's health strategy. The new no-fault divorce law has been delayed in England until 2022. What can make divorce less complicated and confrontational? We hear from Ellie, who is in the middle of a break-up, Kate Daly who runs Amicable, an online divorce service, and divorce lawyer Ayesha Vardag. What's so special about the relationship between gay men and their straight female best friends? In celebration of Pride Month, we discuss with Matt Cain, author and ambassador of Manchester Pride, and Jill Nalder, best friend of Russell T Davies, and the inspiration for Jill Baxter in the C4 drama 'It's a Sin'.Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer : Dianne McGregor

The G7 kicks off in Cornwall today. Boris Johnson and leaders from Japan, Canada, Italy and France who make up the Group of Seven will be joined by US President Joe Biden and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel . On the agenda the biggest issues affecting our world - everything from climate change to the economic recovery post Covid. But how should they change their approach? How much better could things be if leaders, instead of lording their power over us and operating a top-down approach, did something different? In his new book 'The Power of Giving Away Power', Matthew Barzun argues that if leaders just let go and listened and worked more closely with their colleagues, we'd see things thrive and grow. Baroness Valerie Amos, now the Master of University College, Oxford joins him.As live music events draw closer and closer, we ask – how diverse is the music industry? And what can be done to make things more inclusive? We hear from one DJ Jaguar, about her own experiences and an initiative to train other young women.As no fault divorce is delayed we ask if there is a way to make divorce less complicated and confrontational? We hear from Ellie, who is in the middle of a break-up, a high profile divorce lawyer, Ayesha Vardag, and Kate Daly, the founder of Amicable – an online divorce service. In the Women's Super League the transfer window opens today with a new rule forcing clubs to include eight homegrown players in their squad. They must have been trained by their club, or another club in England, for at least three years before their 21st birthday. BBC sports presenter, Charlie Webster, joins Chloe Tilley.Today the new figurehead known as Nannie will start to be installed on the prow of the famous ship, the Cutty Sark: the tea clipper that resides in a specially designed dry dock in Greenwich next to the river Thames in London. The figurehead of a ship is often a woman but why and what is their significance? Louise Macfarlane, senior curator at the Cutty Sark, explains. Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Baroness Valerie Amos Interviewed Guest: Matthew Barzun Interviewed Guest: Jaguar Bingham Interviewed Guest: Kate Daly interviewed Guest: Ayesha Vardag Interviewed Guest: Ellie Interviewed Guest: Charlie Webster Interviewed Guest: Louise Macfarlane

We talk to Paloma Faith about her music, her films, being a mother of two daughters, and harassment towards women and girls. She's got a new single out called Monster which is about her relationship with her career.We hear from two nurses who tell us how the past year and a half has been for them. In the light of a report published earlier this week by the Health Select Committee we discuss burn-out and how health staff are so tired because of the pandemic that many are quitting and morale is at an all time low.Dr Gwen Adshead is one of Britain’s leading forensic psychiatrists and has spent 30 years providing therapy in secure hospitals and prisons. She worked extensively with violent women. Her book, The Devil You Know, co-authored with Eileen Horne, is a collection of 11 stories about men and women who've committed acts of terrible violence. And we have bring you the breaking news that Maya Forstater has won her Appeal against an employment tribunal. Maya Forstater went to a tribunal in 2019 when her employment contract wasn't renewed after she posted tweets about gender recognition. She lost that case, but this morning - having taken it further - she's won the Appeal.

Women's health has long been the poor relation when it comes to medical understanding, funding and research. The government says it wants that to change - and earlier this year announced the establishment of England's first Women's Health Strategy, which will look at women's health across our lifespans. The priorities of that strategy will be shaped, they say, by the results of a public call for evidence which closes this Sunday. But after centuries of - as the Health Secretary Matt Hancock put it - 'living with a health and care system that is mostly designed by men, for men', what sort of confidence should we have in this strategy bringing about meaningful change? Emma Barnett is joined by Women's Health Minister, Nadine Dorries. Why are so many women dismissed, disbelieved or misdiagnosed when they seek medical help? Dr Elinor Cleghorn, cultural historian and author of 'Unwell Women - A journey through medicine and myth in a man-made world', says the answer lies in over a thousand years of history. She talks to Emma about the shockingly slow pace of change in attitudes to women's health, why women's pain still isn't taken seriously, and how the message that women's bodies are at the mercy of their thoughts and feelings has burrowed deep into our consciousness.In April this year, seven specialist mesh complication centres were launched in England to help treat women harmed by the use of pelvic mesh. These centres were recommended in a report by Baroness Cumberlege as a way of concentrating expertise and improving outcomes. But how are the centres working so far? And what are the fears and concerns still facing those women waiting for their mesh to be removed? Listener Judi tells us her experience, and Prof Hashim Hashim, a urological surgeon with specialist skill in mesh removal, explains why the surgery is so complicated and how medical professionals are trying to rebuild trust amid so much pain and anger.Around four million people have an autoimmune disease in the UK - so around 8% of the population. But of these four million, 78% are women. Reporter Carolyn Atkinson talks to Professor Lucy Walker about a new study into what might tie all these conditions together, and also Nina Christie, who currently lives with three autoimmune conditions.Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Anna Lacey

Last month the US Supreme Court agreed to consider a major challenge to reproductive rights, saying it will look at the state of Mississippi’s bid to enforce a ban on almost all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. Two days later the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed into law a six-week abortion ban. Why are attempts to reduce women’s access to these services being made? Last week one young Texan woman decided to use her platform at her high school graduation to give a speech on the so-called ‘Heartbeat Bill’. A speech that has gone viral. Emma speaks to 18 year-old Paxton Smith, and to Amanda Taub, a reporter for the New York Times.Last week we heard from Lord Heseltine who was unhappy about being forced as a Member of the House of Lords to attend an online course around sexual harassment entitled 'Valuing Everyone Training’. In response, we received a text: ‘I’m a young female staffer and did the Valuing Everyone course last autumn. It wasn’t bad, but wouldn’t stop people mistreating colleagues/staff and isn’t a replacement for a proper HR system.' We speak to Stella Chandler, Focal Point Training who runs similar courses, and Deeba Syed, a lawyer who set up and manages the sexual harassment at work advice line at Rights of Women on what needs to be done to stamp out sexual harassment in the workplace. Daniel Spargo-Mabbs was a popular, intelligent and charismatic 16 year-old boy. But one evening in January 2014, he never came home. Dan had gone to an illegal rave and taken a lethal dose of the drug MDMA. Seven years later, his mother Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, is one of the country’s leading drug education advisors, and has just published the book ‘I Wish I’d Known: Young People, Drugs and Decisions; a Guide for Parents and Carers'. Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Frankie Tobi

It’s just over a year since the businesswoman and conservative peer Dido Harding was brought in to set up a test and trace system to help stop the Covid-19 pandemic. The system was going to be “world beating” and help get the UK out of lockdown according to the Prime minister but the incredible costs involved – around £37 billion – have been criticised for failing to make an impact. The system has improved but what will its legacy be? Dido Harding talks to Emma Barnett on Woman’s Hour today in her first interview since leaving the role last month and reflects on the ups and downs of the last year.As we celebrate Pride Month throughout June we thought we'd spend a moment celebrating the relationship between gay men and their female BFF. From reality stars like Jenny and Lee on Googlebox and Olivia Bentley's relationship with Ollie and Gareth in Made in Chelsea to Will and Grace to the designer Halston and Liza Minelli. What is it about the relationship that makes them so special?A group of MPs, Including the former Prime Minister Theresa May, are trying to push through a vote in parliament which they hope will reverse controversial cuts to the international aid budget. It's likely that an amendment to the Advanced Research and Invention Agency bill will happen, and that technical change will result in aid spending going back to what it was. It was recently cut from 0.7% to 0.5. Preet Gill MP is Shadow International Development Secretary and Ella Whelan is a journalist and commentator who doesn't believe in foreign aid.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

How possible is it to actually earn a living from sport? The latest BBC Elite British Sportswomen’s Survey found that four out of five elite British sportswomen feel they are not paid enough compared to their male counterparts and more than 60% of UK’s top female athletes make less than £10,000 a year. On the other hand revenue generated by women's sport in the UK is set to grow to £1bn a year by 2030 – up from £350m a year currently – making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the sports industry. The Women’s Sports Trust says the key to unlocking this impressive growth will be the increased visibility of female athletes and teams. Emily Defroand is a Great Britain and England Hockey player, Zarah El-Kudcy is a Trustee at the Women’s Sports Trust and the Head of Commercial partnership development at Formula 1, and Dr Ali Bowes is a senior lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Nottingham Trent University.Lord Michael Heseltine, who was Deputy Prime Minister in the mid-nineties, says he's had to attend a House of Lords course to do with what's right and what's wrong when it comes to conduct between colleagues, especially between men and women. The training is called "Valuing Everyone". The House of Lords has been very firm about this online course on inappropriate behaviour and prejudice, saying all peers must attend. Lord Heseltine was sent a reminder that he MUST complete it, which seems to have aggravated him a great deal. He’s here, and so is Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem MP. In the House of Commons, the course isn't mandatory for MPs.Language – and the way we use it – is forever changing. We explore how the word ‘bitch’ and other similar words with a sexist history are being reclaimed and reinvented by women to mean something positive. Chante Joseph is a social media creative and writer. Jacqueline Springer is a Black music and culture journalist. Helen Taylor is an Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Exeter.Why, after decades of social progress is motherhood still so much harder than it needs to be? Why aren't we honest about the realities of being a mother? These are just two of the themes explored in a trio of books about motherhood that have just been published. It's not as if these questions haven't been asked before. There is a rich vein of literature from Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex through to Adrienne Rich's classic study Of Woman Born, Juliet Mitchell's A Women's Estate , Jane Lazarre's The Mother Knot and many more. And many second wave feminists fought hard for the rights of mothers on both sides of the Atlantic. And yet very little, if any progress, has been made according to this new crop of authors. Elaine Glaser is the author of Motherhood: A Manifesto, Pragya Agarwal is the author of (M)otherhood: On the Choices of Being a Woman, and Marina Fogle co-presents the podcast 'As Good As It Gets?'Arooj Aftab is a Pakistani composer, based in Brooklyn. She joins Anita to talk about her music and influences from jazz and Qawwali to Jeff Buckley and Abidi Parveen. She explains how grief has shifted the tone of her music to ‘heavy metal harp’, and discusses her latest album, Vulture Prince, which honours and reimagines centuries-old ghazals, a form of South Asian poetry and music that she grew up listening to with her family.Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the author of novels including 'Purple Hibiscus', 'Half of a Yellow Sun', which won the Orange Prize (now called the Women’s Prize for Fiction), and 'Americanah', which won the US National Book Critics Circle Award. Chimamanda has also delivered two landmark TED Talks: The Danger of A Single Story, and We Should All Be Feminists, which started a worldwide conversation about feminism and was published as a book in 2014. She has now written a more personal book. On 10 June 2020 her father died suddenly in Nigeria. A self-confessed daddy’s girl, she has now remembered her father in a tribute, 'Notes on Grief'. Her mother has since also died. How do you deal with double heartbreak?

Arooj Aftab is a Pakistani composer, based in Brooklyn. She joins Anita to talk about her music and influences from jazz and Qawwali to Jeff Buckley and Abidi Parveen. She explains how grief has shifted the tone of her music to ‘heavy metal harp’, and discusses her latest album, Vulture Prince, which honours and reimagines centuries-old ghazals, a form of South Asian poetry and music that she grew up listening to with her family.Now the dust has settled on the recent court ruling on compensation for women with PIP Implants, it's become clear a group of women will miss out. The French court ruled that those who had implants pre 2006 will not get any money, as it decided the safety regulator who approved the implants for market couldn't have been aware of any problems before that date. Lawyers representing the women will go back to the French supreme court to fight this. Melanie Abbott has been looking into this.Therapist and researcher, Guilaine Kinouni’s book Living While Black looks at the racial inequalities within the mental health system and their consequences for Black people. She is joined by author, academic, and broadcaster Emma Dabiri whose new book What White People Can Do Next looks at racial justice and how we demonstrations of support can be transformed into real and meaningful change.Language – and the way we use it – is forever changing. We explore how the word ‘bitch’ and other similar words with a sexist history are being reclaimed and reinvented by women to mean something positive. Chante Joseph is a social media creative and writer. Jacqueline Springer is a Black music and culture journalist. Helen Taylor is an Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Exeter.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Frankie Tobi

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the author of novels including 'Purple Hibiscus', 'Half of a Yellow Sun', which won the Orange Prize (now called the Women’s Prize for Fiction), and 'Americanah', which won the US National Book Critics Circle Award. Chimamanda has also delivered two landmark TED Talks: The Danger of A Single Story, and We Should All Be Feminists, which started a worldwide conversation about feminism and was published as a book in 2014. She has now written a more personal book. On 10 June 2020 her father died suddenly in Nigeria. A self-confessed daddy’s girl, she has now remembered her father in a tribute, 'Notes on Grief'. Her mother has since also died. How do you deal with double heartbreak? Chimamanda joins Emma to examine the layers of loss and the nature of grief.Lord Michael Heseltine, who was Deputy Prime Minister in the mid-nineties, says he's had to attend a House of Lords course to do with what's right and what's wrong when it comes to conduct between colleagues, especially between men and women. The training is called "Valuing Everyone". The House of Lords has been very firm about this online course on inappropriate behaviour and prejudice, saying all peers must attend. Lord Heseltine was sent a reminder that he MUST complete it, which seems to have aggravated him a great deal. He’s here, and so is Wera (pron: VERA) Hobhouse, Lib Dem MP. In the House of Commons, the course isn't mandatory for MPs.Parm Sandhu grew up in the Midlands - a child of immigrants from the Punjab whose main ambition for her she says was to become an ‘obedient wife’. Forced into an arranged marriage at 16 she later fled to London and in 1989 joined the police. In her memoir ‘Black and Blue: One Woman’s Story of policing’ which is out next week, she tells her story of her thirty years in the Metropolitan police - rising through the ranks from a WPC to Chief Superintendent and becoming New Scotland Yard’s most senior ethnic minority woman in the force. She tells us her 30 year career was marred by repeated racism and sexism and a charge of gross misconduct which she was later cleared of. This led to her bringing an employment tribunal claim against the force and reaching a financial settlement with them last year. The sun is out and if you’re looking out your summer dresses and skirts you might also be weighing up the state of your skin after months of slobbing at home in your lockdown comfies. Sales of personal grooming products like deodorant, skincare products and razors went down during the pandemic so will we be embracing the natural look? Or maybe you already do as a member of the hairy legs club? We talk to the stand-up comedian, Ashley Storrie about her beauty regime and also to George Driver, the acting Beauty Director of ELLE UK. Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Interviewed Guest: Michael Heseltine Interviewed Guest: Wera Hobhouse Interviewed Guest: Parm Sandhu Interviewed Guest: Ashley Storrie Interviewed Guest: George Driver

You may have visited Kew Gardens and seen the incredible gallery of botanical art created by Marianne North - she is one of several female artists being featured at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum as part of Coventry's UK City of Culture Celebrations. The exhibition, called UnNatural History, explores not only the historical role of artists in the science of natural history - but also contemporary artists addressing the current climate crisis. But with so much focus on the environment how effective is art in grabbing the public's attention? Alice Sharp is the founder of Invisible Dust who have curated the exhibition and Frances Disley is an artist who examines the medicinal properties of plants and healing power of nature. Why, after decades of social progress is motherhood still so much harder than it needs to be? Why aren't we honest about the realities of being a mother? These are just two of the themes explored in a trio of books about motherhood that have just been published. It's not as if these questions haven't been asked before. There is a rich vein of literature from Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex through to Adrienne Rich's classic study Of Woman Born, Juliet Mitchell's A Women's Estate , Jane Lazarre's The Mother Knot and many more. And many second wave feminists fought hard for the rights of mothers on both sides of the Atlantic. And yet very little, if any progress, has been made according to this new crop of authors. Elaine Glaser author of Motherhood: A Manifesto and Pragya Agarwal author of (M)otherhood: On the Choices of Being a Woman join Emma. A few weeks ago as meeting up began to look possible again, we asked you to tell us about who you were desperate to see again and why. Last week we heard from Chris and her mates in Cardiff - this week listener Sally-Ann from Reading wanted to nominate 'the girls' - she's had a tough year and not seeing them face to face has been hard. Our reporter Jo Morris spoke to Sally-Ann as she prepared to host a garden get-together and popped into one of their regular Zoom chats to eavesdrop on their banter and memories. Boric acid is a white powder that can do everything from get stains out of your clothes, to stop your fridge smelling, to acting as a pesticide. But apparently there's another use for this chemical remedy, and mentions of it have been popping up lately on social media threads and message boards: it can also be used as a treatment for chronic bacterial vaginosis. However, it is also being used for less serious vaginal infections. Dr Jen Gunter, American gynaecologist, obstetrician and author of the Vagina Bible says she has seen an increase in the use of boric acid vaginal pessaries among her patients over the past few years, paralleling an explosion of new over the counter boric acid products and heavy marketing from celebrities, influencers, naturopaths, and functional medicine providers. She explains her concerns.

It's one of the most unforgettable moments in pop. Sinead O'Connor singing Nothing Compares 2 U straight into the camera. Big eyes, shaved head, minimal make up - tears rolling down her cheeks. It catapulted her to fame whether she liked it or not. Sinead joins Emma to talk about her autobiography," Rememberings" The ‘work from home’ guidelines are expected to be scrapped on June 21 - should the government’s current roadmap continue. If you were writing a manifesto for the best way for women to work post-pandemic what would it say? We hear from author and columnist, Elizabeth Uviebinené who argues in her new book ‘The Reset’ for a fundamental reset of our entire work culture, Danny Harmer, Chief People Officer for Aviva on how big companies are addressing the flexibility needs of their workforce and Mark Gatto, father of a two-year-old and research associate in masculinities and working parenthood, Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell PHOTO CREDIT; Donal Moloney

Over the last few weeks and months we have seen women make huge progress in the world of sport. It was just over a month ago that the jockey Rachael Blackmore made history by becoming the first female rider to win the Grand National in its 173 year history. Also last month Rebecca Welch became the first female referee to oversee an English Football League match in 134 years. And the former footballer Alex Scott has become the presenter of the BBC’s Football Focus, becoming the show's first permanent female host in its history.It comes against a backdrop that has seen viewing figures for women’s football and rugby continue to grow despite a virtually invisible summer of competition last year. But a recent BBC Survey of elite sportswomen found that more than 60% earn less than £10,000 a year from their sport. So what still needs to be done when it comes to building on women’s success in sport and how can this upward momentum be maintained and include a variety of sports and not just football, cricket and rugby?We have gathered some of the biggest influencers in the sporting world around a virtual round table. Zarah El-Kudcy a Trustee at the Women’s Sports Trust and the Head of Commercial Partnership Development at Formula 1, Emily Defroand a Great Britain and England Hockey player, Catherine Bond Muir the CEO of the W Series a motor racing championship for women, Kelly Simmons the FA’s Director of the Women’s Professional Game, Alison Kervin a writer and former Sports Editor for the Mail on Sunday (she was the first female sports editor on a national newspaper) and Dr Ali Bowes is a senior lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Nottingham Trent University.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Beverley Purcell

A former senior Army officer is calling for the military to have a “#MeToo moment” and is claiming that hundreds of female troops have been raped and sexually abused by colleagues. Lt Col Diane Allen, who served for 37 years, says the Armed Forces are being run by “a toxic group of privately-educated white senior officers” We talk to Diane Allen and also hear from the Defence Minister Baroness Goldie.Some women and trans men are reporting unusual symptoms after having their Covid vaccinations – ranging from menstrual irregularities to bleeding post menopause. We talk to the reproductive immunologist Dr Viki Male from Imperial College in London to find out what’s behind these symptoms.The best selling author of the Geek Girl series Holly Smale has been diagnosed with autism at age 39. She said she feels relief that she now has an explanation for why she’s felt she’s never “fitted in”.Prof Catherine Heymans, astrophysicist and world-leading expert in the so-called dark universe, is now the Astronomer Royal of Scotland. She's the first woman to hold this prestigious role, but the problem is she's still not entirely convinced she should have the job. She talks to us about impostor syndrome, challenging the status quo and dealing with aggressive criticism.Paris Lees is a journalist, anti-bullying campaigner, and a Contributing Editor at British Vogue. She was the first openly trans woman to present on BBC Radio 1, and also the first to appear on Question Time. She’s written a memoir called What it Feels like for a Girl, which covers the period aged 13 to 18 – a turbulent, heady time full of adventure and disaster.What generation do you define as? The term 'geriatric millennial' went viral last week, after writer Erica Dhwan used it to describe the micro-generation born between 1980 and 1985. Erica believes they make particularly good employees due to their experience of life before the digital world. Rosa Silverman, a senior features writer at the Telegraph, says she is proud to self-define as one of the around 5 million UK geriatric millennials in the UK.