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BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

New ONS stats show that fertility rates are the lowest in England and Wales since 1938 when they were first recorded. Dr Bernice Kuona is researcher in fertility and family relationships at the University of Southampton and explains the research to Anita Rani.

Ann Ming’s 22-year-old daughter Julie went missing in Billingham, County Durham, in 1989. The police launched an investigation but following a search of Julie’s house they failed to find her. Three months after Julie’s disappearance, Ann went to Julie’s house and stumbled across her daughter's remains. Ann’s 17-year fight for justice has now been turned into a four part ITV drama called I Fought the Law starring Sheridan Smith as Ann. Ann joins Anita to talk about her battle to overturn the 800-year-old British Double Jeopardy law and her determination to fight for justice. 

The World Athletics Championships starts in Tokyo on 13 September. Ahead of that, from next Monday, World Athletics will require all athletes competing in the female category to undergo a one-time test for the SRY gene, or ‘sex determining region Y’ gene. World Athletics says this test is ‘a reliable proxy for determining biological sex’. BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan explains the test, the reasons why World Athletics have introduced it, and the wider implications for the debates around biological sex and inclusion in sports.

Justine Lee is a knitwear designer of 30 years who fell out of love with fast fashion. Her latest work focuses on helping to protect the future of British rare breed sheep. She works with shepherds and wool producers, mostly women, and has knitted swatches from all 62 rare-breed sheep to show the versatility of the wool. She joins Anita to discuss her work with farmers, her knitwear designs and her new book which showcases the wool.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones

Double jeopardy fight, Fertility rates, SRY tests, Wool sourcing

Ten child protection organisations have written an urgent letter to the home secretary expressing concern over the omission of child sexual abuse from the upcoming government strategy on violence against women and girls. A draft version of the strategy, due to be published in September, was leaked to Sky News's Mollie Malone, who first broke the story. She joins Nuala McGovern, along with Anna Edmundson from the NSPCC, one of the organisations that signed the letter.

Miriam Robinson’s debut novel And Notre Dame is Burning tells how Esther, a mother, tries to pick up the pieces of her life after a miscarriage - while her marriage falls apart. It is written in short bursts, in fragments of notes and letters. Miriam joins Nuala to talk about the female experience of losing a baby, betrayal, break-ups and moving on.

It's a love story, Taylor just said yes! Pop superstar Taylor Swift is engaged to her American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce. In photos, which have been liked more than 18 million times, the pair are surrounded by roses, delphiniums and hydrangeas. Taylor's love life has been the inspiration for a huge amount of her music, and the subject of tabloid speculation for years. What does this moment mean and how could it impact her music? Joining Nuala to discuss is freelance journalist and author Olivia Petter and Guardian Deputy Music Editor Laura Barton. 

With maternity services stretched across the UK, a new startup called Kove aims to address some of the problems in midwifery by providing a pay-as-you-go service at £180 per hour. But why are women opting for private care, and is it a good idea? Nuala talks to Kove co-founder Alakina Mann and NHS midwife and author Leah Hazard. 

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Louise Corley

Child abuse & VAWG, Novelist Miriam Robinson, Taylor Swift's engagement, Private midwives

A new report, published yesterday, says Britain’s gender pay gap has been understated for two decades, casting doubt on the accuracy of official figures. It's news that might have big implications for women in the workplace and policymakers, from the Bank of England to ministers, who rely on these figures to make big economic decisions. Alex Bryson is Professor of Quantitative Social Science at University College London and worked on this research and Amy Borrett is a data journalist at the Financial Times. They join Nuala McGovern to discuss.

Have you heard of 'spicy' fiction? Now worth £53 million annually, it's a genre that's booming, with sales of romance fiction up 110% between 2023 and 2024 in the UK. And it's mainly women reading these erotic novels, giving them chilli ratings depending on the level of explicit content, and sharing their across Instagram and TikTok. So, what's driving this trend? Nuala is joined by author Emma Lucy, who writes spicy fiction, and Stylist journalist Shahed Ezaydi to find out more.

If you’ve been watching any of the Women’s Rugby World Cup you may have seen ‘high tech mouthguards being used. They will now flash red — signally potentially high impacts, requiring players to have a head injury assessment - a move aimed at improving player safety. So just how safe is it for women to play rugby? What are the risks of getting injured, and what is being done to mitigate those risks? We hear from Fi Tomas, women’s sports reporter at the Telegraph, Dr Izzy Moore, reader in human movement and sports medicine at Cardiff Metropolitan University and Welsh Ruby Union injury surveillance project lead, and Dr Anna Stodter, senior lecturer in sport coaching at Leeds Beckett University, former Sottish International player, who also coaches the university team.

With queues leading out of the shops and reports of thefts, we look at the lengths to which some women will go to get their hands on the latest style must-have, Labubu dolls.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Gender pay gap, 'Spicy' fiction, Is rugby safe? Labubu dolls

Sussex-born cellist Laura van der Heijden won the BBC Young Musician of the Year at the age of 15 in 2012. She's now been named as the Royal Philharmonic Society's Instrumentalist of the Year and will be the Artist in Residence at this year's Lammermuir Festival in Scotland. Laura tells Kylie Pentelow about her repertoire, her love of the outdoors, and plays live in the studio.

Women who've been stalked, or had to take out a restraining order, have a much higher chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It followed a group of over 66,000 women across 10 years, and found those who'd been stalked were 41% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, with those who'd taken out a restraining orders 71% more likely to have heart problems. Kylie talks to Dr Audrey Murchland, one of the lead researchers who carried out the study, about their findings.

Paula Byrne, Jane Austen’s biographer and also a novelist, has spent 25 years researching and writing about the iconic author. In this 250th anniversary year of Austen's birth, she joins Kylie to talk about her new novel, Six Weeks by the Sea, which is her first fictional treatment of Austen and tells the story of how she imagines the most famous romance writer of all time first fell in love.

New government guidance on sex education coming in next year doesn't include specific information on how children should be taught about menstruation, despite a new study showing children don't get enough lessons on the subject. Researchers from University College London claim children get at most two sessions on periods and they say boys and girls should be taught about it together. The study was led by Professor Joyce Harper from the UCL Institute for Women's Health. She joins Kylie along with Tina Leslie from the charity Freedom for Girls, which provides period education.

Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Andrea Kidd

Stalking & heart disease, Cellist Laura van der Heijden, Periods

Join Anita Rani as she broadcasts live from Blaydon Rugby Club in Gateshead ahead of the first game of the Women's Rugby World Cup. Tonight England kick off the tournament on home soil by facing the USA in Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. To preview tonight's game and the tournament to come, we are joined by former England player and World Cup winner Kat Merchant.

We also hear from the Managing Director at World Rugby, Sarah Massey on how she hopes to ensure this World Cup is a success.

Blaydon Rugby Club have a thriving women's side and they invited Anita to join them in a training session. KP, Hayley and Rosie, who play for the club, join Anita live to discuss not only being team mates but being family too!

The England player Abbie Ward talks about her dream of finally lifting the World Cup trophy after being beaten in two finals. Abbie was the first player to benefit from the Rugby Football Union's landmark maternity policy for players. And tonight she will walk out at The Stadium of Light as she begins her dream of becoming world champion. She speaks to Anita about her hopes ahead of the World Cup.

All four home nations have qualified for the Women's Rugby World Cup. Given England are hosting, it means fans from across Scotland, Wales, Ireland - who play with Northern Ireland - and of course England are within touching distance of one of the stadium's hosting. Four fans share their good luck messages for their teams.

And with some saying rugby is the most accessible sport, why is it such a powerful tool for encouraging a positive body image? Joining Anita to discuss is Kat Merchant, now a personal trainer who celebrates her strength, and players of Blaydon Rugby Club.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Emma Pearce

Woman's Hour Special: Women's Rugby World Cup

Jess Folley has been a popstar for almost a decade and she's still only 22. At 14 she won The Voice Kids and later triumphed on X Factor: The Band, with pop group RLY. Since then she's been carving out a career as a songwriter and releasing music under her own name. Jess tells Datshiane Navanayagam about stepping into the corset and heels made famous by Christina Aguilera to play the lead role of Ali Rose in Burlesque the Musical in the West End. 

Women whose data was leaked after they signed up to a dating safety app have become the target of harassment online. Tea Dating Advice, or Tea as it’s known, was set up in the US with a view to allowing women-only-users to do background checks and share their experiences of men they had been dating. But a data breach has seen images, posts and comments from more than 70,000 women who signed up leaked. Datshiane speaks to BBC World Service reporter Jacqui Wakefield and sociologist Dr Jenny van Hooff about the risks of online dating.

Research has been published which could pave the way for reducing the incidence of Alzheimer's in women. It shows women with the disease have lower levels of omega fatty acids than men. There's been debate about whether we should be taking fish oil supplements for some time, so will this answer the question? Datshiane is joined by Dr Cristina Legido Quigley, the lead researcher for this study from Kings College London and Dr Susan Kohlhaas from Alzheimer's Research UK which helped fund the work. 

Former journalist-turned-bestselling-author Elodie Harper has gained a reputation for re-drafting ancient history to centre the women hidden in the margins. Her trilogy The Wolf Den breathed life into the prostituted, enslaved women whose names can still be seen graffitied on the walls of the brothel at Pompeii. Elodie talks to Datshiane about her latest book, Boudicca's Daughter, in which she’s turned her imagination to ancient Britain and the women who rose up against Roman rule in the First Century AD, led by the warrior queen Boudicca.

Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam
Producer: Andrea Kidd

Jess Folley, Boudicca's Daughter, Alzheimer's research

Sister Bliss started out DJing on London’s gay club scene, before co-founding Faithless in 1995 and became one of the few women of her generation to help shape UK dance culture. Faithless have sold more than 20 million albums and amassed close to a billion streams. 30 years on from the hit dance anthem Insomnia, she joins Nuala McGovern to discuss their latest album - Champion Sound.

Too many recommendations, not enough implementation - these are the findings of the latest report into maternity services in England, from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body. It has pressed pause on its own investigation to make way for a new government rapid review to be led by Baroness Valerie Amos. So why are the findings of multiple reports and reviews not yet leading to change? Nuala finds out with BBC Social Affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan, and maternity campaigner Emily Barley, who lost her own daughter due to maternity failings in 2022.

Winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2022, Karis Kelly’s play Consumed is described as a pitch-black and twisted comedy of dysfunctional family dynamics, generational trauma and national boundaries set in Northern Ireland. Currently well-received on stage at the Edinburgh Festival, Karis explains why she chose to focus her story on the lives of four generations of women from the same family.

You might love your local river, but enough to marry it? One woman felt so strongly about protecting the River Avon in Bristol that she took part in a wedding to it...she is part of a group of women bathers and activists who want the watercourse to have the right to be free from pollution. Megan Trump, or Mrs Meg Avon as she is now known, and Charlotte Sawyer are in the Woman's Hour studio.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Sister Bliss, Maternity reports, River women, Karis Kelly

If you knew the world was about to end, what would you do? That’s the dilemma Karen Gillan’s character faces in new film, The Life of Chuck, in which she stars opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor. Karen tells Nuala McGovern about her latest role, her evolving relationship with the Marvel films and her hope to return to directing.

'This report must act as a line in the sand…it should be read as a snapshot of what rock bottom looks like.’ That’s the warning from the Children’s Commissioner, two years on from her landmark report on the scale of children’s exposure to pornography online. Research out today from the Commissioner’s Office finds that more children are being exposed to pornography, with a growing number stumbling across it by accident, some younger than six. Much of the content children encounter is violent. The report also reveals troubling attitudes towards women and girls: nearly half of 16- to 21-year-olds agreed with the statement, 'Girls may say no at first but can be persuaded to have sex.' Joining Nuala in the studio is the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza.

As excitement builds ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, we hear from endurance athlete Lexi Chambers. The five-time world record holder is in the middle of another epic challenge, wheeling 322 miles from Twickenham Stadium to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light to deliver the official match whistle in time for Friday’s opening game between England and the USA. Lexi, who lives with multiple chronic pain conditions, is aiming to complete 10 ultramarathons in 10 days using her every day, non-sport wheelchair. She takes a break to fill Nuala in on her progress and explain why she’s taken on such a challenge.

When Ukrainian President Zelensky went to the White House this week, he handed over a letter to President Trump. It was a message from his wife Olena Zelenska to Melania Trump, thanking the First Lady for the letter she had sent to Vladimir Putin highlighting the issue of the Ukrainian children removed by Russian forces. It’s believed that at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of their parents since the full-scale invasion. Nuala is joined by Ukrainian filmmaker Shahida Tulaganova and BBC Ukraine journalist Irena Taranyuk to discuss.

Karen Gillan, Children's exposure to porn, Lexi Chambers

As Mounjaro increases its prices, there are fears that more women will turn to black market drugs. Nuala McGovern talks to pharmacist Sehar Shahid about how easy it is to swap brands of the weight loss drug, and to Jeanie Annan-Lewin, who buys the medicine privately, about whether she will still be able to afford it.
 
If you pop into a nail bar in a big city in the UK, you may notice the technician might be Vietnamese – and they could be here illegally. UK Border Force has been carrying out a series of raids on nail bars here in the UK and there have been several arrests. We speak to journalist Shayma Bakht from The Times about her investigation into how the workers get here and a link between a nail academy in Vietnam and a smuggling ring. 
 
As The Real Housewives of London launches, we explore why the TV franchise is so successful, what it does for women, and why high drama, female friendships and expensive houses make such compelling viewing. The author of The Real Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Housewives, Brian Moylan, and Guardian columnist Sarah Ditum discuss what makes the show so popular.
 
Kerry Evans is the disability liaison officer for Wrexham AFC. When Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney realised they had to win over the supporters of the football club they wanted to buy, Kerry was one of the people they called! She was born with cerebral palsy and suffered a brain bleed that left her in a wheelchair. Her memoir, Stronger Than You Think, tells how she found herself again through football, as a fan and then by providing a voice for football supporters with disabilities.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Melanie Abbott

Mounjaro price rise, The Real Housewives of London, Nail bars

Four years after Taliban fighters retook the capital Kabul on 15 August 2021, UN Women, the gender equality agency, is warning that the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is increasingly untenable. They say without urgent action, this untenable reality will become normalised and women and girls will be fully excluded. To discuss further Anita Rani was joined by Fawzia Koofi, former deputy speaker of the Afghan Parliament & peace negotiator, and BBC senior Afghan reporter Mahjooba Nowrouzi, recently returned from Afghanistan.

As rugby fans across the UK look forward to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Anita speaks with rugby trailblazer Deborah Griffin. An amateur player since university, Deborah co-organised the first ever Women’s Rugby World Cup, held in Wales in 1991. Earlier this month, she became the first woman to take up the role of President of the Rugby Football Union.

A woman in Wales who felt forced to terminate her pregnancy after being unable to access the anti-sickness medication she needed is calling for the drug to be made more widely available. Sarah Spooner was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum which left her vomiting more than 20 times per day and unable to eat or drink. But she found it virtually impossible to access Xonvea, a medication which is recommended as a first-line treatment in England but not in Wales. Nuala McGovern hears Sarah's story, and speaks to Dr Caitlin Dean from Pregnancy Sickness Support about why there is a postcode lottery across the UK for women needing Xonvea.

Emma Holten tells us we need a feminist revolution. The author has spent years investigating the true value of care - and how rethinking it could transform our societies. Her debut book, Deficit: How Feminist Economics Can Change Our World, examines how mainstream economics systematically undervalues care work and advocates for reshaping policy to reflect its true worth.

England goalkeeper and Lionesses legend Hannah Hampton joins Nuala on Woman's Hour fresh from winning the UEFA European Women's Championship. Born with a serious eye condition, doctors told her she should never play football. She came into the recent Euros with questions over her ability to fill the gloves of recently retired Mary Earps. To add to that, she revealed her grandfather had died just days before the biggest tournament of her life began earlier this summer. Despite this, Hannah had an extraordinary tournament, particularly in those agonising penalty shootouts. She joined Nuala to chat all about it.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Emma Pearce

Weekend Woman’s Hour: Afghanistan, RFU President Deborah Griffin, Pregnancy sickness, Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton

Do you have a business idea that you would realise, if only you had the time? Sara Davies firmly believes we’re all capable of creating a successful business from scratch, in just six minutes a week. The Dragon’s Den star set up Crafter's Companion while she was still a student and has since built it into a multi-million pound business. Now she’s sharing what she’s learned in her new book – The Six Minute Entrepreneur: 52 short lessons for long-term business success.

Frankie Bridge has hit out at ‘double standards’ for women after she received a backlash online for going on holiday without her children. The Loose Women presenter was called ‘the worst wife and mother’ in comments on her social media post, after she took a break with her friend following health struggles. Her husband and mother were looking after her two sons. She joins Nuala, along with parenting coach Camilla McGill. 

Women prescribed drugs for movement disorders such as Restless Leg Syndrome are not being warned by doctors about serious side effects which have turned them into sex and gambling addicts – according to a BBC investigation. These women say these drugs were so powerful that they changed their behaviour entirely and ruined their lives. BBC News Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge joins Nuala, along with a woman we are calling Lucy who developed three serious addictions while on the drugs, and professor of neuropsychiatry at Cambridge University, Valerie Voon.

Hilary Brown was ABC News’s first female foreign correspondent. She was one of the first women to be posted to war zones at a time where many women were just entering the workplace for the first time. Nuala talks to her about her life and career. 

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Emma Pearce

Businesswoman Sara Davies, Holiday without kids, Restless Leg Syndrome

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