Woman's Hour

Australian marathon swimmer Chloë McCardel is due to swim the English Channel for the 44th time – this will break the current World Record. Chloe already holds the world record for the longest unassisted ocean swim, which took place in the Bahamas and totalled 124km. She joins Emma to talk about why she loves the Channel in particular, and open water swimming in general.There are rumours that the new government in Afghanistan might allow girls between 13-18 years old to return to school this weekend, but so far Taliban spokesmen have claimed ‘more time’ is needed before making a decision. Emma gets the latest from BBC World Service Reporter Sodaba Haidare and educationalist Pashtana Durrani, who has helped educate hundreds of Afghan women through her non-profit organisation LEARN.Author and podcaster Laura Dockrill speaks to Emma about how her experience of postpartum psychosis three years ago shaped her new book The Dream House, which is about very sad boy called Rex. The National Audit Office has found that years of repeated human errors on outdated IT systems resulted in more than 100,000 people being underpaid a total of £1 billion in state pensions. Most of those affected were women, who are owed an average of nearly £9000. John Chattell's mother Rosemary was underpaid for 20 years, he joins Emma to explain how much money they eventually got back on her behalf.Two years ago a baby at Bronzefield Prison in Surrey died as soon as it was born. When she was giving birth the mother was on her own in a cell. Today a report by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman, Sue McAllister, has come out which is deeply critical of the prison and how it handled the situation. Sue joins Emma.

A live performance from Martha Wainwright who'll be talking to Emma Barnett about her first album in more than five years and going out on the road again.Ruth London from Fuel Poverty Action talks about the effect of energy price rises on women and children.And as Covid booster jabs are being offered across the UK this week and 12 to 15 year olds are receiving the vaccines at school we speak to Dame Kate Bingham She began the work when she who was appointed chair of the Vaccine Task Force at the beginning of the pandemic by Boris Johnson and reported directly to him. She's now returned to her day job as a venture capitalist investing in new drugs and talks talks to Emma about female leadership, the ethics of booster rollout and whether unvaccinated care-workers should be able to continue working. Plus we hear from Australian of the Year 2021, campaigner Grace Tame. A survivor of sexual abuse she fought to overturn the law in Tasmania which stopped people speaking out in their own name  even if their attacker had been found guilty. Her latest campaign is to change Australia’s consent and grooming laws. Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell Photo credit; Gaelle Leroyer

It took three separate assessments before it was confirmed that TV presenter Julia Bradbury had breast cancer. It’s a disease that will affect 1 in 8 women, so why does it sometimes go unnoticed? And what can you do if you suspect something might be wrong? Julia and breast surgeon Liz O'Riordan join Emma to discuss.As Germany’s long serving Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to stand down later this month we look at her life and legacy and ask what’s she done for women? Her biographer Margaret Heckel and the journalist Stefanie Bolzen from Die Welt join Emma Barnett to discuss the woman who has been at the heart of European and global Politics for the last twenty years through the tumultuous years of the financial crisis, Brexit and the Covid 19 pandemic.Broadcaster and journalist Charlie Webster was 12 when she joined an all-girls elite running group in Sheffield. Running became her passion and it was at the track where she met some of her best friends. But it was also where Charlie was abused for years by her sports coach. At the time, she didn’t speak out about what her coach did to her, but after she left the group she discovered her coach had been arrested and convicted, and sent to prison for 10 years. Now Charlie has made a documentary, Nowhere To Run: Abused By Our Coach. She joins Emma to discuss the documentary and her campaign to improve safeguarding laws in sport.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

Britain’s first sickle cell and thalassemia nurse specialist, Prof Dame Elizabeth Anionwu revolutionised treatment of the disease. She then established the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice, to address racial inequalities in the profession. She discusses her early life in a children's home, her hugely successful career, and being honour by the singer Dua Lipa. Her memoir is called ‘Dreams From My Mother.'The Taliban announced that all women must wear the hijab and will be segregated in universities. We hear from Afghanistan's former Minister for Women's Affairs, Hasina Safi, who is now in the UK having escaped under cover in the final days of the evacuation. Two listeners Rowan and Destiny, explain, why for the sake of the planet, they are saying no to having children now.Pretty Privilege - what is it and should it be used? The model Marike Wessels, and Caterina Gentili from the Centre for Appearance Research discuss.Comedian, actor, writer, Jennifer Saunders talks facial hair, menopause, and playing the medium Madame Arcati in a threatre production of Noel Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

Are you familiar with the phrase ‘pretty privilege’? A new trend on Tik Tok is seeing young women sharing stories about when they first realised good looks can get you far in life. From relationships, to work, and even within the legal system – the association between beauty and talent, social success and health is a real thing. Anita Rani talks about the issue with model Marike Wessels, and Caterina Gentili from the Centre for Appearance Research.A new report investigating the serious harm or death of babies is calling for midwives, health visitors and social workers to provide more support to fathers. The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has looked at the lives of 23 babies who were known or suspected to have been seriously harmed or killed by their father, step-father or male carer, with the aim to understand what led the perpetrators to do it, and what could be done to prevent similar incidents. Panel member Mark Gurrey and working NHS midwife in Scotland, Leah Hazard discuss the issues.Rebecca Currie has won a High Court battle to limit the stench coming from a landfill site near her home which she says was damaging her son’s health. We hear about her campaign and her reaction to the victoryAnd there’ll be music from Thea Gilmore who talks about her new album AfterlightPresenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Engineer: Duncan Hannant

With a career spanning five decades, Britain’s first sickle cell and thalassemia nurse specialist, Prof Dame Elizabeth Anionwu revolutionised treatment of the disease. As an academic, she became a professor and dean of the nursing school at the University of West London, then established the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice, to address racial inequalities in the profession. When she retired she campaigned for a statue in honour of the pioneering Jamaican nurse, Mary Seacole. She speaks to Emma about her memoir ‘Dreams From My Mother’ - a story of childhood, race, identity, family, hope and overcoming her upbringing which was marked by racism and abuse.Alison Goldsworthy was deputy chair of the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive while the party was in coalition government. Active in politics for a long time, she left the party in 2014. In 2013, she and others made public sexual harassment allegations against a senior colleague, allegations he has always strongly denied. Alison's book Poles Apart has just been published – she joins Emma to talk about what she learnt from that experience.Nobody likes paying parking fines, but would you go through a 5 year battle to beat one? Linda Edwards from Greater Manchester did just that - all over a £1 parking ticket she couldn’t pay because the machine was broken. She joins Emma to explain why she stuck with it.Yesterday's reshuffle worked out pretty well for women in the Conservative party. Priti Patel stays in post, Liz Truss has been promoted to Foreign Secretary while retaining her Women and Equalities brief, and Nadine Dorries has been promoted to Culture Secretary. Women now occupy half of the great offices of state for the second time - the first being when Theresa May made Amber Rudd Home Secretary in 2016. But does any of that actually matter? Emma is joined to discuss by Sebastian Payne, author of Broken Heartlands: A Journey Through Labour’s Lost England and Whitehall editor for the Financial Times, and Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor at the Telegraph.

Amy Hart, who was on Love Island two years ago was in front of politicians yesterday describing the problems she's had on social media. Appearing in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee she explained that she's been trolled by nurses, and she found out that a 13 year old boy had sent her death threats. We tells us how she copes. Professor Devi Sridhar from The University of Edinburgh talks to us about the Government's Plan A, Plan B and Plan C for covid as we go into autumn.We hear from two Woman's Hour listeners about why, at the moment, they've decided not to have children. Some of their reasoning is to do with over-population and global resources. According to data from the Office of National Statistics, 50% of women will not have had a child by the time they reach 30, with 20% not having children at all. Emma speaks to Destiny and Rowan about their reasons for being child-free.As Britain gears up to host COP26, the global climate change summit, we talk to the Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP. We ask her if the UK’s really leading by example with its environmental policies and if we can meets our target of net zero emissions by 2050. How will we get there? Will we really be able to phase out domestic boilers? And will the move towards electric cars and the introduction of new hydrogen energy be enough to make the difference? We also ask her about covid and mask wearing.And what's Dopamine Dressing? Well, it's the idea that wearing bright colours, bold prints or your favourite dress can boost your mood and make you feel happier. Dr Caroyln Mair, a behavioural psychologist specialising in fashion, tells us more.

It's the first year in which women and men are awarded equal prize money in Venice's annual rowing race, the Regata Storica. Emma speaks to lead campaigner and professional rower, Elena Almansi. This week the Taliban announced that all women must wear hijab and will be segregated in universities. Emma is joined by the former Minister for Women's Affairs, Hasina Safi, who is now with her family in a hotel in the UK having escaped under cover in the final days of the evacuation. Emma also speaks to Carolyn Webster, who stood as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in the last general election and is now an independent councillor in Bridgend in Wales. She has been organising collections for Afghans stuck in British hotels after quarantined and is concerned about their conditions.For 25 years Julia Peyton-Jones was director at the Serpentine Gallery in London. Under her tenure the number of visitors to the gallery in an old tea pavilion in Hyde Park rose from 200,000 to more than one million. Announcing her departure in 2016, she said she wanted to spend more time painting. 'I will be starting all over again,' she said at the time. 'I am 64. My goal is to live to 100 and remain in really good shape.' Less than a year later, she became a mother, returning from California with a baby daughter. The press covered the story extensively but Julia chose not to give any interviews. Now she has brought out a book called Pia's World consisting of drawings she did every night in 2020, of her and her daughter's day. In this first broadcast interview, Julia joins Emma in the studio. A campaign to outlaw the misuse of NDAs, non-disclosure agreements, in jurisdictions around the world is launched today. Campaigners say too many of these agreements enable powerful individuals and businesses to cover up sexual harassment, racism and other wrong doing. Joining Emma are the two women fronting the campaign - Zelda Perkins, the first woman to break an NDA with Harvey Weinstein, and Canadian law professor and author Dr Julie MacFarlane. We also hear from Emma Bartlett, employment law specialist at C M Murray.

From Ab Fab to Jam & Jerusalem, Jennifer Saunders has been gracing our TV screens for decades. She now returns to theatre as eccentric mystic Madame Arcati in a production of Noel Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit. She discusses what attracted her to the role and reflects on her wide ranging comedy career.When a cancer nurse Aimee Winfield posted on social media about how much she was looking forward to a break, it provoked a flurry of abusive messages. She talks to Emma about the impact it's had on her and why she worries about how this behaviour might affect other colleagues.We hear about Catherine Dior, sister of fashion legend Christian Dior, was a French Resistance fighter during the Second World War and was the inspiration for the Miss Dior fragrance. She was also central to his decision to set up his own fashion house in the aftermath of the war which launched what known as the “New Look” – which created an undeniably feminine silhouette . Her story has received little attention, until now, with the publication of a new book: “Miss Dior – A story of courage and Couture” by the fashion editor Justine Picardie. She joins Emma Barnett to discuss Catherine’s life and her catalytic role in the history of one of the world’s greatest fashion houses.Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell

We hear from the Screenwriter, director, producer and actor Michaela Coel about her first book ‘Misfits: A Personal Manifesto’. The book draws on topics covered in her MacTaggart lecture in which she spoke about dealing with trauma and the ways in which young creatives are exploited by the television industry.Sarah Gilbert the scientist who led the team that developed the Oxford Vaccine tells us why she doesn’t think we all need booster covid jabs this winter and tells us about being named the 49th winner of the “Bold Woman” award which honours inspirational women with a track record of success.The Pakistani author Rafia Zakaria discusses her new book, Against White Feminism. She explains why she sees the issue of race as the biggest obstacle to true solidarity among women. We discuss Japan’s Womenomics. A concept designed to get more women working and in positions of power. Women in Japan are less likely to be hired as full-time employees and on average earn almost 44 percent less than men. We hear from Cynthia Usui who coaches unemployed housewives in Japan and helps place them within the hospitality industry and Kathy Matsui who coined the term Womenomics in 1999 while working at investment bank Goldman Sachs.And the comedian Sophie Willan who won a BAFTA for best comedy writing, for the pilot episode of her BBC 2 comedy Alma’s Not Normal. She's now got a 6 part series starting on Monday night. Drawn from her own experiences, she plays the central character Alma who grew up in an out of the care system in Bolton. Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Beverley Purcell