Woman's Hour

This summer marks 40 years since Willy Russell’s landmark play Educating Rita was first performed. The funny and moving story of a 26 year-old Liverpudlian hairdresser studying for an Open University degree has barely been off stage since. Dame Julie Walters played the lead role in both the original theatrical production and the later film, for which she was Oscar-nominated. She joins Jane to talk about what playing the role has meant to her, and how much Rita/Susan’s experience chimed with her own. Jane also speaks to Willy Russell about Rita’s story, and why he believes it has resonated with so many women. They are joined by four real life Ritas – working-class women who returned to education in later life, Glynthea Modood, Sue Slater, Kate Wiseman, and the Open University’s Pro Vice Chancellor Liz Marr.

Louise Somerville thinks we need to talk more about nits. She feels that increasingly schools are inconsistent in how much they help parents deal with nits and that clear advice is lacking. We ask how best to deal with nits and head lice, and the stigma attached, and why it matters. With entomologist Richard Jones and Joanna Ibarra from Community Hygiene Concern.Daisy Leigh was 23 when she felt an unfamiliar kicking sensation and was shocked to discover she was 30 weeks pregnant. She had just two months to prepare, mentally and practically, for becoming a mother. Nine months on, she says her daughter is the best thing that's ever happened to her.Women and Paddling: kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, rafting; what are the attractions, what is involved, and how can paddle sports help physical and mental health? Cadi Lambert runs the #ShePaddles programme for British Canoeing, and Emma Kitchen has started training to be a coach to help people improve their paddle skills.Are women taken more seriously in the wo

Presented by Jenni Murray.A 16 year-old young woman looking at universities came across the St Andrews Survivors page on Instagram with more than 100 stories of sexual assault. She only read a couple but consequently wiped St Andrews off her potential university list. Her mother, a Woman’s Hour listener, wrote to us to saying she felt universities are not doing enough to address this problem, and was concerned with the impact this could have on young women going to university. Jenni is joined by Sara Khan, NUS Vice President for Liberation and Equality for an update on a problem that has been raised many times in the last few years. How successful have universities been in addressing this?What singing can do for your mental health? We hear how much some listeners are missing being part of choirs, and also from those who have been finding alternative ways to sing as a group online and even outdoors. Jenni discusses the issues with listener Carolyn Acton, Sandra Colston, MD Funky Choir MD and Liesbeth Tip Cl

LISTENER WEEK: Josie Channer and Teresa Devereux are both listeners who felt that they had to write novels about what they’d experienced through their work. Josie’s written Diary of a Prison Officer and Teresa’s based her novel Broken Lives on what she saw and heard as a social worker. They tell Jane about how they published their work and what they hope readers will get out of their books.Sarah Fraser is an associate professor at Princess Nourah Bint University in Riyadh, the largest female-only university in the world. She got in touch because she wanted to talk about the supportive and collaborative there,. She believes that despite most people believing the opposite, a country like Saudi Arabia does not oppress women. Rothna Begum, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch with focus on the Middle East adds her perspective.Plus the evolution of the pushchair and the joys of community quilting.Presenter Jane Garvey Producer Beverley Purcell

Marva Yates who lives in London got in touch because she wanted us to talk about the importance of sisterhood throughout history... Marva and her sister Sabrina – who currently lives in New York - started the @sistoryuntold podcast about it during lockdown. They wanted not only to learn more about those often forgotten women of history but to show that support, both good and bad, from the “sisterhood” can be a crucial part of success.Shortly after turning 50, Jo Hogger was made redundant from her corporate career. Her passion for flowers and personal and professional experiences of bereavement led her to a complete career change and she started a business tending graves and creating beautiful flowers to put on them. She explains the reasons people want this type of service, the joy she gains from it, and the meaning behind the flowers she chooses.Until very recently, very few people felt free to discuss their mental health. Even now, it’s not easy for everyone – and Listener Rochelle Fernando who is 29, and S

Would you consider walking 880 miles around the Wales Coastal Path? Two listeners, Helen and Rhian, tell us about their experiences, and they are joined by academic Kerri Andrews, author of Wanderers: A History of Women Walking. Daisy Leigh was 23 when she felt an unfamiliar kicking sensation and was shocked to discover she was 30 weerks pregnant. She had just two months to prepare, mentally and practically, for becoming a mother. Nine months on, she says her daughter is the best thing that's ever happened to her, and she'll be talking about the challenges and pressures of becoming a young mum when her career was taking off. Helen got in touch wanting to highlight bulimia, which she feels is often overshadowed by anorexia. She talks about her experience with the condition and how difficult it is, particularly as her weight is a healthy one. Also on the programme is Associate Prof Lucy Serpell, Dept of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology at UCL, who also treats bulimia patients in a clinical capacity.

All you need to know about nits

Women and Paddling: kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, rafting what are the attractions, what is involved, how can paddle sports help physical and mental health and where are women in these water sports? Following an email from a Woman’s Hour Listener who is passionate about women paddling, Jane speaks to Cadi Lambert, who runs the ShePaddles programme for British Canoeing, and Emma Kitchen, who has started training to be a coach to help people improve their paddle skills and is returning to paddling after some tough years in her personal life and has found new confidence from being on the water.It’s more than 50 years since the contraceptive Pill became widely available in the UK. Several listeners have written in with questions, some concerned about its possible side effects. Can you take the Pill and stop your period? Does the Pill make you gain weight? Should there be a seven day break if you are using it? Julia Hogan, lead contraceptive and sexual health nurse for Marie Stopes, and Dr Rebecca French, A

Becky's father went to prison for sex offences against children. For a BBC documentary, Can Sex Offenders Change?, Becky met three sex offenders who didn’t go to jail, but had rehabilitation treatment in the community. We hear from Becky and Professor Belinda Whynder, Research Director Centre for Crime Offending, Prevention and Engagement at Nottingham Trent University and a co-founder of the charity Safer Living Foundation. Former Love Island contestant Camilla Thurlow worked in explosive ordinance disposal, finding and clearing landmines in some of the world’s most dangerous and inhospitable places. She has written a book - Not the Type – Finding my place in the real world.The Office for National Statistics has estimated that the number of women who reach 80 without children will almost triple in the next 25 years. As a result demand for paid care in nursing homes is expected to increase sharply. Why is the focus on childless women and not men, and how is the data being reported in the media? Jody Day is

Marion ‘Crawfie’ Crawford was a young Scottish trainee teacher who wanted to educate children in the slums of Edinburgh but ended up as governess to a young Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret. How much did she influence and shape their lives? Writer Wendy Holden on how she's brought her story to life, in a new novel ‘The Governess: She Came from Nothing and Raised a Queen ’.Earlier this year Rhea, a sixteen year old girl from Shetland, put out an appeal using an anonymous app, to anyone who wanted to share their personal stories about sexual violence. Within 24 hours she'd had more than 60 responses. Rhea, and Lisa Ward, manager of Rape Crisis Shetland, talk about what those stories say about where they live. And in the next in our summer series of How to guides, we discuss the art of stepping off the treadmill and carving out time for yourself. How can you minimise feelings of guilt and maximise bliss moments? What are the best ways to politely but firmly say no? Presenter Jane Garvey Produce

Described as a ‘tender portrayal of experiencing dementia in lockdown’ Watching Rosie is an online play starring Miriam Margolyes. Portraying grandmother Alice, and Louise Coulthard, her granddaughter Rosie, Miriam joins Jenni to discuss the bond between the two as they face change and confusion. Sinead Hynes is a tough, driven, funny young property developer with terrifying secret. No one knows it; not her fellow patients in hospital, and certainly not her family. She’s only confided in a shiny magpie and Google! Poet Elaine Feeney talks to Jenni about her debut novel As You Were – all about the secrets we hold, the burdens we carry and why we all need people to lean on.The Care Quality Commission have described the maternity care at Basildon University Hospital as ‘inadequate’, after a whistleblower shared concerns for patient safety. Jenni is joined by BBC Look East’s Suzie Fowler-Watt, who has been following the story, and Lauren, who has had maternity care at the hospital and is part of a support

Advice on supporting your child's mental health during the Coronavirus pandemic

Three producers on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in the US have been fired amid allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment and reports that it was a "toxic workplace". As one of the highest paid and popular stars on TV Ellen ends her talk show with the catch phrase "be kind to one another". What is the impact on her popularity and reputation following the sackings? Jenni speaks to New York-based journalist and broadcaster Jane Mulkerrins.At the age of 23, Camilla Thurlow was accepted by the HALO Trust to train in explosive ordinance disposal, finding and clearing landmines in some of the world’s most dangerous and inhospitable places. She then signed up for hit TV show, Love Island, where she came second. She describes it as the scariest thing she could have done. She subsequently impressed viewers in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, and has now written a book - Not the Type – Finding my place in the real world, about learning to confront her anxieties in a world dominated by celebrity culture. She now s

Becky’s father was convicted of sex offences against children and sent to prison. He has since been released but while in prison he undertook a sex offender rehabilitation programme. For a BBC documentary Can Sex Offenders Change? Becky meets a growing number of sex offenders who have not been sent to prison, and have received treatment in the community. She tries to understand what drove them to commit these horrific crimes, whilst seeing what treatment is available to stop them committing any more. She joins Jane to discuss along with Professor Belinda Winder, Research Director Centre for Crime Offending, Prevention and Engagement at Nottingham Trent University and a co-founder of the charity Safer Living Foundation. Scientists across the world are keen to find out if the female hormone oestrogen could offer protection against the worst symptoms of Covid-19. Data gathered from the Zoe Covid app created with Kings College London seems to suggest that younger women are at lower risk of developing symptoms b

Fawzia Koofi, a member of Afghanistan's peace negotiating team survived an assassination attempt on Friday. This come after the Afghan government announced a new council to safeguard women's rights and interests, amid fears peace talks with the Taliban could lead to the loss of hard-won gains. Mahjooba Nowrouzi from the BBC Afghan Service explains. In 1973, Julie Welch became the first woman to report on football for a British national newspaper. In her new book 'The Fleet Street Girls' she talks about her own battles for recognition, and the experiences of other female trailblazing journalists who also took on the male-dominated world of Fleet Street. Mary Stewart has been called one of the great British storytellers of the 20th century. The author who has sold over 5 million books is said to have invented the romantic suspense novel. Her 1954 best-seller Madame, Will You Talk? has been dramatised in two parts for Radio 4. We speak to the writers Jane Casey and Harriet Evans who are both fans of her work.Ka

On VJ Day we hear from Patricia and Jean Owtram who both served their country while their father was a prisoner of war in the Far East.We discuss the findings of the BBC Sport Elite British Sportswomen's survey 2020 published this week.Karen Maine tells us about her new film Yes God, Yes about 16 year old Alice growing up a Catholic and attending Catholic school in the early noughties in the American mid-west.Plus as President Alexander Lukashenko is re-elected in Belarus, we talk about the woman who challenged him.And with nightlife on pause during lockdown how have female DJs been adapting?Presenter Jenni Murray Producer Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor Beverley PurcellGUEST Susannah Townsend GUEST; Priyanaz Chatterji GUEST; Tammy Parlour GUEST; Veronika Tsepkalo GUEST; DJ Flight GUEST; Ngaio Anyia GUEST; Karen Maine

To mark VJ Day 75 we’ll be speaking to two sisters, Patricia and Jean Owtram whose father was a prisoner of war in the Far East. At the time both sisters were serving their country. They are the last two living sisters to have signed the official secrets act in WW2. Patricia received a Legion of Honour for her interception of enigma code for Bletchley park as a WREN tapping into German shipping radio while Jean was a code & cipher officer in Egypt and Italy supporting secret agents and partisans fighting the Nazis. Now aged 97 & 94 they have collaborated on a book, Codebreaking Sisters, Our Secret War. They acknowledge that the war changed their lives “instead of just marrying, I went to university and then journalism before being a BBC TV producer” remembers Pat. And Jean says: “Girls from our class were destined to live a very narrow existence, focused on husband and children. The war gave us broader horizons and bigger adventures. I believe we have both been more useful to the world because of

With nightlife on pause during lockdown how have DJs been adapting? DJ Flight has been at the forefront of drum and bass for over two decades. Signed to Goldie’s label Metalheadz, she’s played all over the world and is founder of EQ50, a project aimed at improving gender equality in drum and bass. Ngaio Anyia is a singer and DJ from Bristol who runs Booty Bass, a collective who offer DJ lessons for women. Jenni talks to them about livestreams and how their work has changed with COVID-19. With clubs closed, is it time to make the industry more gender balanced… and will it actually happen?Students all over the country are protesting about how their work will be graded for GCSEs and A-Levels after exams were cancelled because of Covid. It’s even worse for home-educated young people. They’ll be getting no grades at all for all their efforts because grades are allocated by schools.Belarus had elections on Sunday. The man who’s been President for 26 years (since 1994), President Alexander Lukashenko, got in again.

Alexandra Wilson on her new book “In Black and White”. The story of breaking down barriers of race and class to become a barrister. She explains how losing a very close family friend to knife crime made her pursue a career in law and how she has overcome her family’s fears of becoming “part of the system”Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for President in this year’s US elections has finally named his running mate as Kamala Harris. Senator for California, she was Biden’s former rival for the Democratic nomination and will be the first woman of colour to be nominated for national office by a major political party. Kelly Dittmar, Director of Research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, and Kimberly Peeler-Allen, co-founder of Higher Heights, an organisation supporting Black women into elected office, discuss the impact and reaction to her appointment. Plus we hear all about latest female technology firms - also know as Femtechs. Offering everything from period tracking apps to

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for Britain and France to work together to stop migrant boats crossing the Channel to Dover. On Friday a record number of unaccompanied migrant children arrived in the UK. The 23 youths were taken into the care of Kent County Council, on top of the 70 who arrived in July. According to the latest Home Office Statistics 90% of young (under 18) unaccompanied refugees who come in to the UK every year are male. What happens to the ten percent who are female? We hear from Dinah Beckett from Migration Yorkshire and Sharon Pearson who’s fostered Elsa.Yes God, Yes is a new film about 16 year old Alice growing up a Catholic and attending Catholic school in the early noughties in Midwest America During a chat on AOL she discovers masturbation and is overwhelmed with guilt. Seeking redemption, she attends a religious retreat to try and suppress her urges. Karen Maine, is the director..Part of our series about women and scars: we meet Laura who is 27 – she’s a care worker