Woman's Hour

A newspaper article reported on discussions around children in the UK being offered COVID-19 vaccines as early as August, although a spokesperson from DHSC has said: "no decisions have been made on whether children should be offered vaccinations". In February the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine began testing on children. There are 300 volunteers aged between six and 17 taking part in the trial. So, what is the likelihood of all children being included in future vaccination programmes. Krupa Padhy discusses the issues with Saul Faust, Professor of Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Southampton.Last Tuesday, eight people at three different spas and massage parlours in and around the US city of Atlanta were killed. Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. Activists and advocates have pointed to an increase in racially-motivated attacks against Asian Americans throughout the pandemic. But that same rise in hate crime focussed at Eastern and South Eastern Asian communitie

Endometriosis is a condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb are found elsewhere in the body, often around reproductive organs, bowel and bladder. This can cause inflammation, pain and scar tissue. We hear about a new study which uses Dichloroacetate as a treatment. Jessica Rafferty talks to use about her experience which includes more than 200 visits to the hospital. And we also hear from Andrew Horne, Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.Litter! Get annoyed when it’s all over the place? Find yourself picking up other people's rubbish? What about all those covid masks? Is it mostly women leading the charge on litter? We hear from you. Theoretically women can now get an abortion in Northern Ireland. The new law came into force last year but in reality it's a very different story. It's hard to access services and some women are still travelling to England and Ireland. The Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis, has stepped in and said

It's exactly a year since Boris Johnson delivered the instruction to stay at home. To mark the occasion, we've assembled three women of different ages, backgrounds and circumstances to discuss their experiences of being confined for the most part in the home. Actor and author Sheila Hancock and writers Kerry Hudson and Yasmin Rahman join Emma. The future of Nicola Sturgeon has been in the balance in recent weeks as she's faced not one but two major inquiries. Yesterday afternoon an independent inquiry by James Hamilton QC cleared the First Minister of breaching the ministerial code. But this morning a separate cross-party committee of inquiry said the Scottish government's handling of harassment complaints against Alex Salmond was "seriously flawed", that Nicola Sturgeon had misled their inquiry in her evidence and that women had been badly let down by the government. Political correspondent Alex Massie, crime writer Val McDermid and Alex Massie from the Spectator join Emma.Last week’s announcement th

The average age of menopause is 51, and menopause itself only lasts for one day, because it simply marks the one-year anniversary of your last period. Perimenopause, on the other hand, refers to the period of time in which you’ll have cycles, but start to experience ‘menopausal’ symptoms. Three quarters of women experience significant symptoms during the perimenopause, yet there is little in the way of evidence based information available. Comical descriptions of symptoms including hot flushes and mood swings are widespread and prevent essential details on the myriad of other symptoms and signs a woman is perimenopausal. Maisie Hill is a women's health advocate and author of Perimenopause Power. She joins Emma to discuss the symptoms and her toolkit of tips and techniques women can use to help themselves.Last year the National Crime Agency assessed there were at least 300,000 individuals posing a sexual threat to children in the UK, and warned of a spike in online child sexual abuse offending during the

Susannah Fish, former Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police and Olivia Pinkney Chief Constable for Hampshire talk about how confident women can be in reporting crime to the police. We hear from Conroy Harris, CEO of A Band of Brothers, David Challen, domestic violence campaigner and Mike Berry, Consultant Clinical Forensic Psychologist on why men attack women and what can be done to stop it.Why is inclusion in beauty important? Make-up artist and model Sasha Pallari and founder of MDMflow, Florence Adepoju tell us how beauty brands can be more diverse and the damage face-filters can have on mental health.This month marks the 10th anniversary of conflict in Syria. Dr. Rola Hallam, CEO and Founder of CanDo explains why women and children have been disproportionately affected.How has lockdown changed what we want from our handbags? Lucia Savi curator of the V&A's Bags: Inside Out exhibition tells us about the history of handbags and how they will be used after lockdown.Singer-songwriter and cellist

The Supreme Court are today announcing their judgement on the so-called "pizza test". That is whether a residential or home carer who "sleeps in" is entitled to the minimum wage. The reason it is named the "pizza test" is that they are required to be on site, and cannot leave to go and buy a pizza, even if they're not actually performing some specific caring activity. The case was brought by a highly-qualified care support worker called Clare Tomlinson-Blake. If the Supreme Court find in her favour it will have huge implications as it could cost the sector over £400 million in back pay. Anita Rani is joined by our reporter, Melanie Abbott, who has been speaking to Claire, and Christina McAnea, the general secretary of UNISON.The British multi-national consumer goods company, Unilever announced last week that it will remove the word ‘normal’ from 200 of its beauty products, in an attempt to create a ‘more inclusive definition of beauty’. They will also ban excessive editing of photos in relation to ‘body shape

Today we have three men on Woman's Hour talking about male violence. They're discussing why some men attack women and what can be done to stop it. We know that statistically more men than women are likely to be victims of male violence, but we also know that most women have felt frightened when walking alone on the streets, and most change what they do to keep safe. Sarah Everard's death has provoked a national conversation about women's safety, so today we're getting a male point of view. We have Conroy Harris from A Band of Brothers, an organisation which works with young men who have been violent in the past; David Challen who's a domestic violence campaigner and whose mother Sally went to prison for the murder of his father Richard, and Mike Berry who's a Consultant Clinical Forensic Psychologist.Gloria Hunniford joins us too. She's telling us about why she's doing something she never thought she would, and even dissuaded her children from doing when they were young: that's getting a tattoo.

The death of Sarah Everard has led to concerns for women's safety in public. Women have been encouraged to put their trust in the police if facing harassment or any kind of jeopardy. But following last Saturday's vigil on Clapham Common, where the Met police were criticised for their response, just how confident can women be in the police? Did their behaviour at that event reveal an institutional misogyny? Emma talks to Susannah Fish, former Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police force and Olivia Pinkney, Chief Constable for Hampshire, representing the National Police Chief’s Council.We talk to Maria Ressa who is one of the Philippines most outspoken journalists who was named a Time magazine Person of the year in 2018. She’s a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime and his deadly war on drugs, his attempts to silence the press and the rise of disinformation and fake news on social media. And we hear from Lucia Savi, the curator of a new handbags exhibition at the V&A museum in London abou

After Sarah Everard’s murder, there are calls to make the streets safer for women. So, how can that be done? And how can town planning reduce the risk for women when they’re walking alone? Dr Ellie Cosgrave, a lecturer in Urban Innovation and Policy at UCL, describes her vision of safe cities designed with women in mind. Yesterday Boris Johnson's Criminal Justice Taskforce came up with a series of new measures to help protect women and girls, including better street lighting, CCTV and a new idea of sending undercover police officers into pubs and clubs. These are welcome measures to some, but for others this package misses the mark. There are also plans for a register to monitor serial domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators, and a push to make misogyny a hate crime. Does this add up to real change ? Emma speaks to Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins, whose brief covers domestic abuse, violence against women and sexual violence.As the weather warms and if you’re lucky enough to have a garden, it’s time to s

Reaction to Sarah Everard’s vigil and the actions of the Metropolitan Police . Among the thousands who came to Clapham Common in South London on Saturday night to pay their respects to her were feminist writer and member of Southall Black Sister, Rahila Gupta and campaigner and columnist at the i, Kate Maltby. Emma speaks to them both, and to Sir Peter Fahy, retired former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police about the policing of the event. Plus we hear from Jan Royall, Baroness Royall about the idea of putting together a data base of offenders convicted of harassment, coercive control and stalking similar to the sex offenders register. This month marks the 10th anniversary of a conflict in Syria that has devastated the country and the Syrian people. In a country whose population in 2011 was estimated at about 21 million - more than half the population has been displaced: 6.6 million Syrian have been forced to flee their country since 2011. Another 6 million have been uprooted from their h

The art of the repair, Molly Martin an illustrator and textile repairer, tells us why repairing clothes, furniture and appliances can be beneficial to not only your pocket but to your mind.The government's proposed one per cent pay rise for NHS staff is discussed with the Health Minister Nadine Dorries and Dame Donna Kinnair, nurse and chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing.We look at how more than 70 women in a small English town have had their private, often naked images stolen and shared online by people living in their community with one of the victims Ruby and the MP Maria Miller who has been campaigning for better legal protection against image based sexual abuse for years. It took a year for Maria Beatrice Giovanardi to convince the Oxford Dictionary of English to not only change their definition of ‘woman’ but to re-examine the synonyms for ‘woman’ in their thesaurus, and amend the contents. She tells us why she turned her attentions to Treccani, a leading online Italia

An interim report into British Gymnastics, published this week, revealed 1,500 complaints between 2015 and 2020, including 39 claims passed to police. Jessica Creighton is joined by former gymnast, Claire Heafford and Sarah Moore, one of the lawyers working on the case.It took a year for Maria Beatrice Giovanardi to convince the Oxford Dictionary of English to not only change their definition of 'woman' but to re-examine the synonyms for 'woman' in their thesaurus, and amend the contents. Maria has now turned her attentions to Treccani, a leading online Italian dictionary, in a bid to get them to do the same thing. She tells us how this part of her campaign is progressing and why language matters.A new report out today from the Institute of Fiscal Studies suggests that women in heterosexual couples are much more likely than men to give up their jobs, or cut their hours, after becoming parents. And it shows that this happens even if the woman earns more than her male partner. Alison Andrew, Senior Research Ec

The Health Minister Nadine Dorries joins Emma to talk about her plans to cut deaths caused by Strep B infection in newborn babies, as well as nurses' pay and the government’s new consultation on a women’s health strategy. The row over the government's proposed one per cent pay rise for NHS staff shows no sign of quietening down - with the attention having moved towards nurses' wages in particular. Strike action has been threatened by nurses' unions over the proposals and the Prime Minister came under fire yesterday about nurses - especially considering the role they have played on the front line fighting the pandemic. 90 per cent of nurses are women. Emma discusses the issue with Dame Donna Kinnear, nurse and chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing.Today we are thinking of Sarah Everard - the 33 year old woman who went missing walking home to Brixton from a friend's house in Clapham, south London, on March 3. Reclaim The Night are organising a vigil following the disappearance

During lockdown, when we haven't quite had access to the shops we might need, many have turned to 'fixing up' items around the house, and mending our own clothes. With the popularity of shows like The Repair Shop and Salvage Hunters, what stories do our possessions carry, and how can restoration keep them alive? Emma meets Molly Martin, an illustrator, textile repairer, and author of 'The Art of Repair' who runs workshops on how to mend mindfully.More than 70 women in a small English town have had their private, often naked, images stolen and shared online by people living in their community. The indecent images, including some of underage girls, are thought to be taken via hacking or provided by former boyfriends and uploaded anonymously on a website which features 73,000 images of women from across the world. Members of this online forum specifically request and target girls in the places they live in. The victims have reported the abuse to the police who, so far, say they are unable to help due to the

As Children return to school across the UK an increasing number of parents are choosing to educate their children at home on a permanent basis. Many have enjoyed home schooling their kids during Covid and see it as an opportunity to explore a new way of learning. Critics however are concerned that it’s unregulated. We hear from Gail Tolley from the Association of Directors of Children's Services and to Hannah Titley from the Home Schooling Association. Trisha Goddard who had her own UK day time talk show for over a decade on why Oprah is the Queen of confessional TV interviews. Plus Stephanie Guerilus, senior editor and staff writer at the Grio, an American website with news and video content geared toward African Americans, tells us how the interview gone down with the American audienceFor over 20 years, Maria Cahill has stood by her claims that she was raped by a member of the IRA when she was 16, and was retraumatised when the issue was handled by a IRA kangaroo court. But a few days ago The Guard

Oprah Winfrey’s interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was broadcast last night on CBS in the US. It is due to air here in the UK tonight on ITV at 9pm. What might be the repercussions of the interview with the two former working Royals? Emma talks to Jennie Bond who was the BBC’s royal correspondent for 14 years and Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, activist, lawyer and author of This is Why I Resist.The broadcaster Clemency Burton Hill tells us about a special one off episode of the Classical Fix podcast celebrating women composers that she recorded with Emma Barnett as part of International Women's Day.British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released from house arrest, but faces fresh charges next weekend. Nazanin was detained in Tehran in 2016, and sentenced to five years in prison for plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, which she has always denied. We hear the latest on her situation, from Richard Ratcliffe and Faranak Amidi, BBC World Service's Women's Affairs journal

Pensions expert, Baroness Ros Altman talks about the state pension scandal which only affects women. Around 200,000 of them could be due pay-outs averaging £13,500 to top-up the underpayment of their state pension. We hear from the critically acclaimed and award-winning author, Isabel Allende. She tells us about her latest book 'The ‘Soul of a Woman’ - her memoir on feminism and what it means to be a woman. What can Greek goddesses teach us about ourselves today? Classicist, Natalie Haynes and Historian, Bettany Hughes discuss goddesses and what we can learn from them.35 million adults and a third of eleven year olds are overweight or obese in this country. Rachel Batterham is Professor of Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology at UCL and one of the authors of a recent study into a drug, semaglutide, that can help some people lose 20% of their body weight. Jan, who took part in Rachel's trial and has struggled with weight since she was a child, talks about how taking part changed her life.When is maximialism

Anita Rani talks to the Chilean author Isabel Allende, also to the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. To mark International Women's Day we have music with Madeleine Mitchell & Errollyn Wallen and we look at the future of workwear post lockdown. Will power suits and formal wear be a thing of the past after a year of lounging in comfies? Emma Jacobs from the Financial Times considers our appetite for zoom casual clothing and what we can expect when we all return to the office in the coming months. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Engineer: John Boland

Silence Is a Sense is a new novel by Layla AlAmmar: a Kuwaiti now based in Lancashire. Her novel is about a young woman from Syria who's living in a block of flats in a small English city. It's about the people she watches from her window, and how she's settling in after leaving a war zone.Two out of every three adults in the UK are either overweight or obese. Usually the message is eat less and move more, but is there something else going on? Rachel Batterham, Professor of Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology at UCL discusses the critical role of gut hormones in controlling appetite and the drugs that can help keep them in balance. And Jan from Kent talks about what she's learned about the causes of her own problems with weight and why she thinks anti-obesity drugs could change the lives of millions.We look at the growing trend for ‘more is more’ in home decorating. Maximalism can mean having a riot of different patterns and colours and textures, and also making more space for your treasured objects to go on

From May mothers' names will finally be featured alongside fathers' details on marriage certificates, in England and Wales thanks to years of campaigning both inside and outside of parliament. We hear from Ailsa Burkimsher Sadler who started the campaign for change back in 2013 and Revd Canon Dr Sandra Millar who is the Church of England’s Head of Life Events.Today one of the most powoerful women in UK politics, Nicola Sturgeon has been giving evidence to a special committee set up by the Scottish Parliament to investigate the handling of sexual harassment complaints against Alex Salmond. We look at the implications for her, her Party and for the Scottish Government.If you still crave a career in music what are some strategies for survival? Sound Advice is a new handbook for aspiring musicians written by journalist Rhian Jones and PhD researcher Lucy Heyman. Plus a lookahead to the Chancellor's speech with Mary-Ann Stephenson from the Women's Budget Group. And Captain Sir Tom's daughter Lucy Teixeira on w