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BBC Radio 4

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

Listen to our new series of conversations, The Woman's Hour Guide to Life, on BBC Sounds - your toolkit for the juggle, struggle and everything in between: www.bbc.co.uk/guidetolife

Woman's Hour

Should the UK follow Australia in bringing in a social media ban for under 16s? The government has announced a consultation on the issue and peers debate the question as the former Conservative schools minister Lord Nash has tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It would require social media platforms to stop children under 16 from using their platforms within a year of the Bill passing. Nuala McGovern discusses this with Hannah Ortel from the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, and Dr Fiona Scott, Senior Lecturer in digital literacies at the University of Sheffield.

How safe are the beauty treatments many women routinely use? MPs on the Science, Technology and Innovation Committee are investigating whether UK regulation is keeping pace with the scientific evidence behind products used by millions of women, from botox to hair relaxers, the latter predominantly used by Black women. Nuala is joined by the chair of the committee, Labour MP Dame Chi Onwurah, to discuss what the inquiry hopes to uncover.

Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates, x) is the acclaimed comedy show from Jade Franks. A sharp, funny take on class privilege, it follows Jade’s first term at Cambridge after swapping life in a Merseyside call centre for one of the UK’s most elite universities. After a smash-hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe, the show is now being developed for TV.

Women who coach sports are twice as likely to suffer bullying and harassment as men, according to new research from the charity Women in Sport, which calls coaching in the UK a “hostile environment” for women. They spoke to 2,000 coaches about their experiences and found women are operating in a deeply unequal system, from pay and progression through to discrimination. They say many have quit, feeling unheard and undervalued. Lisa West from Women in Sport and Yasmin Clarke, a former pro tennis player and coach discuss.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Melanie Abbott

Social media ban for under 16s, Class privilege at Cambridge, Women's sports coaches

We are a year into US President Trump's second term. He says he will tell European leaders "we have to have" Greenland at this week's forum in Davos, Switzerland and impose tariffs if they oppose him. Trump regularly hailed himself as the anti-war president on the campaign trail - and he's described himself since as the "president of peace" - but there are some who accuse him of waging a "war on women" since taking office. So, after a year back in the White House, how have the policies of President Trump’s administration impacted women? Nuala McGovern is joined by Anne McElvoy, an executive editor at Politico and Jennifer Ewing, Spokesperson for Republicans Overseas UK. 

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, the eldest son of the Beckhams, has said that he is not in touch with his family and does not want to reconcile with them. We don’t all live our family lives on social media, but most of us do have moments when we question whether our relationships with them are good for us. How do you know when you’ve reached the point when the right thing to do could be to walk away? Eilidh Dorgan and psychotherapist Dr Sara Young discuss. 

More than 90% of medicines have never been tested in pregnancy, leaving millions of women worldwide facing an impossible choice, go without treatment, or take medication you’re not certain is safe for your baby. The World Health Organisation is preparing to work with scientists, doctors and drug developers on what could be the biggest shift in decades, rethinking whether pregnant women should take part in drugs trials. Nuala talks to Martina Penazzato from the Science for Health Department at the World Health Organization (WHO) and Dr Teesta Dey, Maternal Technical Consultant at the World Health Organization and a Maternal Health Researcher at the University of Liverpool.

Caroline Mitchell spent almost 10 years working for the police, including as a detective in the Criminal Investigation Department, before becoming a full-time writer. Her latest novel, The Ice Angels, has tinges of the Nordic-noir genre and is the first of a series featuring Elea, a Finnish detective whose daughter went missing 10-years earlier. She tells Nuala about the importance of writing for her and why the cityscape of Lincoln and Finland feeds into her work. 

This programme has been edited since broadcast.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Andrea Kidd

Trump one year on, Family estrangement, Testing on pregnant women, Caroline Mitchell

New research will bring hope to the thousands of women in the UK living with secondary breast cancer. A simple blood test will be able to tell how well they will respond to treatment, even before it starts. This research could mean being moved to more efficient treatments earlier. Nuala McGovern hears from Dr Iseult Browne, one of the researchers on the study. 

The Grammy award-winning American R&B singer/songwriter and actress, Andra Day, made her acting debut with her portrayal of Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Her emotionally raw and transformative performance made her only the second black actress to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress. Her voice first reached a global audience with her anthem Rise Up which earned two Grammy nominations. She joins Nuala to talk about her latest role, as Christine, in the film - Is This Thing On?

An employment tribunal ruled on Friday that the dignity of a group of female nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital was violated because they had to share single-sex changing rooms with a transgender colleague, who was born male but identifies as a woman. BBC's Health Correspondent Dominic Hughes explains further.

Today another episode of our SEND in the Spotlight podcast drops, and this one is all about the local authority's role in the SEND system. They come in for a lot of criticism from some of our guests, who feel they need to go to battle with their council in the attempt to get their children's needs met. Rebecca is a SEND mum who is also a SEND caseworker for a local authority. She got in touch because she wanted to talk about the realities of her job. 

Mattel have just released autistic Barbie. It’s the latest in their range of dolls which have included wheelchair and Downs syndrome Barbies. So how do brands use socially conscious products to appeal to consumers, and how much are they targeting women with issues they care about? To discuss Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO of the marketing agency Get Savvy and Dionne Nickerson, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia join Nuala.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Andra Day, Breast Cancer, Autistic Barbie

Parents of under-fives in England are to be offered official advice on how long their children should spend watching TV or looking at computer screens. It comes as government research shows about 98% of children under two were watching screens on a daily basis - with parents, teachers and nursery staff saying youngsters were finding it harder to hold conversations or concentrate on learning. To discuss this further Nuala McGovern is joined by Kate Silverton, child counsellor and parenting author, and Professor Sonia Livingstone from the London School of Economics and author of Parenting for a Digital Future. 

In 2025 alone she walked at Paris Fashion Week, spoke at the United Nations about face equality and won 'Fashion and beauty influencer of the year' at the the UK and Ireland TikTok awards, all while managing a chronic illness. Nikki Lilly is a Bafta and Emmy award-winner, an influencer and a campaigner and she joined Anita Rani in the studio.

The latest series of The Traitors has sparked controversy after two black women, Netty and Judy, were the first to leave – one ‘murdered’ by the Traitors and the other banished at the roundtable. The debate goes beyond the game - is it exposing unconscious bias and raising bigger questions? Do reality TV shows like this hold up a mirror to society, revealing uncomfortable truths around racism, misogyny, and ageism? Author and arts columnist at the Independent Micha Frazer-Carroll and freelance writer Chloe Laws, who have both written on this topic and are both fans of the show, discuss.

What happens if the person you’re in a relationship with doesn’t quite meet all the qualities you look for in a long-term partner? Do you stay anyway? Journalist Eve Simmons has recently written about this in her new book, ‘What She Did Next’, which looks at why millennial women might settle for what she calls ‘subpar’ relationships. Nuala was also joined by psychotherapist and broadcaster Lucy Beresford who believes it may not just be women settling for less.

Miss Marple and Poirot have been household names for decades but now one of Agatha Christie’s lesser-known sleuths – Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent - is finally getting her time in the spotlight. The fearless young amateur detective is the focus of new Netflix mystery series Seven Dials. Mia McKenna-Bruce is the award-winning actor bringing ‘Bundle’ to the screen, alongside Helena Bonham-Carter and Martin Freeman, and Mia joined presenter Nuala live in the studio.

The Ayoub Sisters are Scottish Egyptian siblings Sarah and Laura Ayoub who play cello and violin. Their debut album was recorded in Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Their second album, Arabesque, was released independently and went to number one in the iTunes chart. They are about to undertake a UK tour to celebrate their 10th anniversary, which will include the premiere of their Arabic Symphony in a homecoming concert in Glasgow.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells

Weekend Woman's Hour: Kids and screen time, Nikki Lilly, The Traitors, Subpar relationships, Mia McKenna-Bruce

The number of abortions recorded in England and Wales has reached a record high, according to the latest government figures from the Department of Health. There were 277,970 abortions in 2023, the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967 - which is 11 per cent higher than the previous year in 2022.
Rachael Clarke is Head of Advocacy for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service - known as B-PAS, and tells Anita Rani about the findings. 

In 2025 alone she walked at Paris Fashion Week, spoke at the United Nations about face equality and won 'Fashion and beauty influencer of the year' at the the UK and Ireland TikTok awards, all while managing a chronic illness. Nikki Lilly is a Bafta and Emmy award-winner, an influencer and a campaigner and she joins Anita in the studio. 

January is one of the toughest times for managing finances - and this year the pressure is hitting harder than ever. In just the first week of 2026, more than 13,000 people turned to Citizens Advice for help with debt. Last January, over 50,000 people sought support, and they expect this year to be even worse. New polling commissioned by the charity over the last six months reveals one in three people in problem debt have gone without essentials like food and women are feeling the squeeze more than men, with nearly 40% of those seeking advice being impacted compared to 31% of men. To discuss, Anita is joined by principle policy manager at Citizens Advice, Emer Sheehy, and personal finance and consumer expert Sue Hayward.

Grief over a pet's death can be as strong as that for a family member or close friend, new research shows. Anita talks to Philip Hyland who led the research on prolonged grief disorder. 

Actor Hayley Squires is currently on our screens in the long-awaited second series of BBC spy thriller The Night Manager. Her character Sally Price-Jones is second in command to Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine, as they navigate a dangerous world of international espionage, deception and moral ambiguity. Since her breakthrough in Ken Loach’s award-winning film I, Daniel Blake, Hayley’s won critical acclaim for a host of TV, film and theatre roles. She’s currently also appearing in the hit production of All My Sons in London’s West End. 

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones

Nikki Lilly, Debt, Grief over a pet, Hayley Squires

To track or not to track? Now that technology on our phones makes it so easy, many parents are tracking their children’s whereabouts. If children don’t have a smart phone, many people use a GPS tracker device do to the same thing. There are even children’s trainers available with a special slot to insert the device. But have we thought about the reasons why? What are the benefits or dangers of tracking children, and if you do track, at what point do you stop? Anita Rani is joined by Clare Fernyhough and Esther Walker.

Some fat dissolving agents and skin rejuvenation treatments being injected into women currently have the ‘same regulatory classification as ball-point pens’. That’s according to evidence heard by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee as part of a new inquiry into the potential harms of hair and beauty products and treatments. Thousands of women could be potentially experiencing harm from these products and going undocumented. Ashton Collins, co-founder of Save Face, the register for safe medical aesthetic practitioners, and Victoria Brownlie, chief policy and sustainability officer at The British Beauty Council join Anita.

The latest series of The Traitors has sparked controversy after two black women, Netty and Judy, were the first to leave – one ‘murdered’ by the Traitors and the other banished at the roundtable. The debate goes beyond the game- is it exposing unconscious bias and raising bigger questions? Do reality TV shows like this hold up a mirror to society, revealing uncomfortable truths around racism, misogyny, and ageism? Author and arts columnist at the Independent Micha Frazer-Carroll and freelance writer Chloe Laws, who have both written on this topic and are both fans of the show, discuss.

A group of religious leaders and a Member of Parliament in The Gambia have tabled a bill seeking to overturn the country’s ban on female genital mutilation or FGM. The matter is now before the country’s Supreme Court and is due to resume later this month. The case follows reports that two baby girls bled to death after undergoing FGM in the country last year. Rights groups have condemned the move, describing it as a violation. One of those groups is the African Women's Rights Advocates - we hear from Mam Lisa Camara from the group, along with BBC Correspondent for West Africa Thomas Naadi, based in Accra. 

And we nod to Claudette Colvin, who helped end racial segregation in the US by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person in Alabama. She has died at the age of 86. Her protest and subsequent arrest was largely unknown until the details were included in a book in 2009. Far more well known is an event that happened nine months later when Rosa Parks famously defied the bus laws. 

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Smart phones and tracking children, The Traitors, Regulating Botox

Reports say that the number of people killed in Iran after 18 days of protests is over 2000. We hear about the women on death row who are facing execution as there are fears of quick reprisals from the regime. Women are taking extraordinary risks to take part in protests as is demonstrated by the death of the fashion student Rubina Aminian, who was shot in the head during the protests, after taking to the streets to demand change and more freedoms. BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet and human rights lawyer Azadeh Zabeti discuss with Nuala McGovern.

A BBC investigation has found that more than half of the 16,000 children in drug treatment between 2024 to 2025 were 15 or younger. The BBC has found disparities in community care, gaps in strategy and a lack of state funded residential facilities for teenagers. Experts and grieving families say many are not receiving the help they need. Kate Roux, whose son Ben died in a homeless shelter at 16, and Dame Professor Carol Black, the government’s independent drugs adviser, discuss the systemic issues preventing children from getting the help they need and what is being done to create parity of care.

What happens if the person you’re in a relationship with doesn’t quite meet all the qualities you look for in a long-term partner? Do you stay anyway? Journalist Eve Simmons has recently written about this in her new book, ‘What She Did Next’, which looks at why millennial women might settle for what she calls ‘subpar’ relationships. Nuala is also joined by psychotherapist and broadcaster Lucy Beresford who believes it may not just be women settling for less. 

After reading the coroner’s report on the tragic deaths of Jennifer Cahill and her daughter Agnes Lily in June 2024, midwife and author, Leah Hazard decided to investigate how long midwives across the country were expected to work at any one time. The many responses she received led her to set up a petition which has now garnered more than 19,000 signatures. She tells Nuala why she is asking for stricter legal protections on midwives’ working hours, and midwife Abigail Latif describes the pressures she feels under to work long hours.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern 
Producer: Melanie Abbott

Women protesting in Iran, Drugs and teens, Subpar relationships, Midwives and burnout

Miss Marple and Poirot have been household names for decades but now one of Agatha Christie’s lesser-known sleuths – Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent - is finally getting her time in the spotlight. The fearless young amateur detective is the focus of new Netflix mystery series Seven Dials. Mia McKenna-Bruce is the award-winning actor bringing ‘Bundle’ to the screen, alongside Helena Bonham-Carter and Martin Freeman, and Mia joins presenter Nuala McGovern live in the studio.

How do you spot misinformation online? BBC Bitesize has launched a new series for schools tackling the problem, after new research with more than 400 teachers highlighted their growing concern about teenagers’ relationship with online content. It shows most teachers believe critical thinking is now the most essential skill for young people, yet only a third feel able to teach it. Nuala is joined by psychologist Dr Martha Deros Collado and Pip Sanderson from the Center for Digital Information Literacy in Schools to discuss the issue and how to approach talking to teenagers about it. 

A new BBC investigation has been examining one of Russia's most covert war operations: the recruitment of foreign nationals as frontline soldiers for its invasion of Ukraine. A central figure of the documentary is a woman called Polina Alex-an-drovna Azarnykh. She's a former teacher turned recruiter who is now accused of misleading economically vulnerable men across the world into joining Russia's military. BBC documentary Into the Void: Putin’s Foreign Fighters follows Senior International Investigations Correspondent Nawal Al-Maghafi as she exposes this shadowy system and the human cost behind it. She joins Nuala to discuss the story. 

Publishing "isn't taking the power of older women seriously" according to author Lesley Kara, in an article for industry bible The Bookseller. Lesley wrote about the number of older female authors, why there aren't enough books about middle-aged and older women and why she thinks the protrayals that do exist are often cliched. She joins Nuala along with book critic and journalist Alex Clark.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Mia McKenna-Bruce, Teens and misinformation, Older women and publishing

Parents of under-fives in England are to be offered official advice on how long their children should spend watching TV or looking at computer screens. It comes as government research shows about 98% of children under two were watching screens on a daily basis - with parents, teachers and nursery staff saying youngsters were finding it harder to hold conversations or concentrate on learning. To discuss this further Nuala McGovern is joined by Kate Silverton, child counsellor and parenting author, and Professor Sonia Livingstone from the London School of Economics and author of Parenting for a Digital Future. 

Heather Rose's latest novel, A Great Act of Love, is set around a real-life vineyard in Tasmania in the early 19th century. This was at a time when Tasmania, or Van Diemen’s Land as it was called then, was still a British penal colony. It was while she was researching this book that Heather discovered her own family’s dark history and its connection to the land, which she has interwoven into the story. 

This year marks the centenary of the Adoption of Children Act 1926. It was the first legislation enabling the legal adoption of children in England and Wales, with equivalent legislation passed in Northern Ireland in 1929 and in Scotland in 1930. Joining Nuala to discuss the significance of the passing of this act is Dame Carol Homden, Chief Executive of Coram, Harriet Ward, Emeritus Professor at Loughborough University and currently writing a book about the history of adoption, and Zoe Lambert, who was adopted at five months old and is the founder of In-Between Lines, that works with adoptees, adoption agencies and advocacy groups. 

The Ayoub Sisters are Scottish Egyptian siblings Sarah and Laura Ayoub who play cello and violin. Their debut album was recorded in Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Their second album, Arabesque, was released independently and went to number one in the iTunes chart. They are about to undertake a UK tour to celebrate their 10th anniversary, which will include the premiere of their Arabic Symphony in a homecoming concert in Glasgow. 

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Andrea Kidd

Young kids and screen time, Adoption Act centenary, The Ayoub Sisters

In our new series Going it Alone we hear from women about their experiences of having a child without a partner. These are women who are having donor conceived children, which is different to single mums who may have split up with the child’s father. Statistics show that more women than ever in the UK are choosing to become solo mums by choice. Lucy tells us her story. Nina Barnsley, Director of the Donor Conception Network and Clare Ettinghausen, a Director at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority join Nuala McGoven to discuss the legal and practical implications. 

A chemotherapy nurse is so concerned about the rates of breast cancer she has seen in women under 50 that she's started a parliamentary petition to get the age of mammograms reduced to 40 and for them to be annual. Currently women get their first screening between the ages of 50 and 53 and then get screened every 3 years. Anita Rani talks to nurse Gemma Reeves and to Dr Sacha Howell from the Christie Hospital in Manchester about how the breast screening programme could be improved.

Ten people have been found guilty of cyber-bullying Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, by a Paris court, but that is not the end of the lawsuits. Next up, it's the Macrons against the controversial right-wing podcaster Candace Owens in a US civil court. They've accused her of mounting “a campaign of global humiliation”. Nuala hears from Sophie Pedder from The Economist, in Paris, and BBC journalist Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty.

Chloé Zhao is only the second woman and first woman of colour to win an Oscar for Best Director. She returns with one of the year’s most anticipated films, Hamnet. Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel, it reimagines the lives of Anne Hathaway and William Shakespeare, exploring how the loss of their 11-year-old son Hamnet shaped their marriage and inspired Hamlet. Chloe co-wrote and directed the film and speaks to Anita.

The city of Leicester has seen a wave of all-female punk rock bands in the past five years, so how is it reshaping the local music scene? Around 27 all-female bands have grown from a movement founded by Ruth Miller. Called the Unglamorous Music Project, it’s enabled women to learn instruments and form bands together. Ruth died from breast cancer in 2023, but her aim to get more older women into the music industry and onto the stage has materialised. Janet Berry and Alison Dunne are two of the women involved. We hear their music and talk to them about their inspiration.

Presenter: Anita Rani 
Producer: Dianne McGregor

Weekend Woman's Hour: Going It Alone, Chloé Zhou, Breast screening

The number of midwives in England has increased by just 7% over the last year and some NHS Trusts in England have more than one in five midwifery jobs vacant, according to BBC research. The Royal College of Midwives says staffing gaps have to close. The BBC’s Health Correspondent Catherine Burns joins Clare McDonnell to talk about what her investigation into maternity units in England has discovered, and to share the story of Farzana, who had to give birth on her own after midwives said they were too busy to answer her calls.

Carole Stone must have one of the best address books ever. A former producer of BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions, for years Carole has run 'salons' and parties bringing together hundreds of interesting people - politicians, actors, journalists. Carole’s partner, the TV broadcaster Richard Lindley, died four years ago. Carole joins Clare to discuss how and why she is looking for another soulmate at the age of 81. 

Could the next leader of North Korea be a woman? Clare gets the latest from lead correspondent at NK News, Jeongmin Kim, and hears more about what life is like for women on the ground with North Korea expert, Professor Hazel Smith.

As the number of pupils missing a significant amount of their education is about double the level it was before the pandemic, Clare is joined by Ellie Costello, the executive director of Square Peg, a not-for-profit which helps families that struggle with school attendance. 

It’s 60 years this week since Jackie, the magazine for teenage girls, was first published. At its peak, it was selling more than a million copies a week. To celebrate the anniversary, Clare is joined by Nina Myskow, Jackie’s first female editor, and Wendy Rigg, a teenage fan who achieved her dream of working on Jackie.

Presenter: Clare McDonnell
Producer: Lottie Garton

Midwife shortages, Dating at 81, Jackie Mag anniversary

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