Woman's Hour

Karen Gibson aka 'Godmother of Gospel' shot to worldwide fame in 2018 after she appeared conducting The Kingdom Choir at the Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan. She joins Jenni to talk about the choir's new single, her passion for gospel music and her recent experience on Celebrity Masterchef.British Gymnastics, the UK governing body for the sport of gymnastics, has announced that there will be an independent review following concerns raised by several British athletes about a culture of mistreatment and abuse. These allegations follow similar conversations that are happening in America because of a new Netflix documentary exploring the Larry Nassar scandal. So what fuels a culture of neglect? And what are people within the gymnastic community hoping will happen now? Jenni discusses with a woman called 'Sarah' who has four daughters, all of whom trained in gymnastics and experienced varying degrees of abuse, and Nicole Pavier, a retired member of the senior England gymnastic squad.A pair of glamorous strangers, a bunch of adolescent siblings and some distracted adults sharing a beach for one long hot summer. Sounds like the perfect recipe for sexual intrigue and disaster. Award-winning author Meg Rosoff joins Jenni to discuss her new novel The Great Godden.In her new book X+Y, A mathematician's manifesto for rethinking gender, Dr Eugenia Cheng – who has spent many years in the male-dominated field of mathematics – draws on insights from her own subject and personal experience to radically reframe the whole discussion around gender. Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Jenni Murray

In a landmark ruling handed down at York County Court, housing benefit discrimination has been judged unlawful and in breach of the Equality Act. Research carried out by the charity Shelter shows that ‘No DSS’ policies put women and disabled people at a particular disadvantage, because they are more likely to receive housing benefit. The historic hearing took place virtually on Wednesday 1 July, involving 'Jane' (not her real name) a single mother of two. After a letting agent refused to rent any properties to her because she receives housing benefit, Jane contacted Shelter’s Strategic Litigation Team to take on her case. Jane Garvey discusses the issues with solicitor Rose Arnall, and Polly Neate, Chief Executive, Shelter.Nicole Chung was born severely premature, placed for adoption by her Korean parents and raised by a white family in a sheltered Oregon town in the US. From childhood she was told that her biological parents had made the ultimate sacrifice hoping that she would have a better life. She considered that she would always feel out of place as a trans-racial adoptee until she began to wonder if the story she had been told was the whole truth. All You Can Ever Know is her memoir of adoption. The writer and broadcaster Sali Hughes has been talking to women about objects in their lives that are important to them. The things we cherish aren’t always vintage, antique - or even expensive. Instead we treasure the stuff that reminds us of special people, particular times in our lives, or which stand for something important. Today it’s the turn of Rachel Eling.After the recent news of poor working conditions at a UK factory that could have helped fuel a local spike in COVID-19 cases in Leicester, we are reminded yet again of the consequences of fast fashion and the boom in online ordering. Campaigners and those in the industry are grasping the opportunity to raise awareness of the problems in global clothing production and are trying to change consumer habits. Jane is joined by Prof Dilys Williams, the founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, and Aja Barber, a personal stylist and style consultant whose work focuses on sustainability and ethics.

Tomorrow the United Arab Emirates will launch its first ever mission to Mars. The probe, called Hope, aims to give the most complete picture yet of the Martian atmosphere – and will cement the UAE’s role as a space-exploring nation. We talk to Her Excellency Sarah Al-Miri Minister of State for Advanced Sciences and the Deputy Mission Project Manager for the Emirates Mars Mission and Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Theoretical physicist and presenter of The Life Scientific.Ghislaine Maxwell will appear in court in Manhattan on Tuesday charged with recruiting girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. She’s always denied any wrongdoing, and has also denied knowing that he was doing anything wrong. But if we looks back over the decades, news coverage of women accused of aiding and abetting men in their crimes, especially if sexual abuse is involved, has provoked some double-standard reactions. We hear from Baroness Helena Kennedy and Consultant Clinical & Forensic Psychologist Naomi Murphy Leading charities say relatives of care home residents with dementia should be treated as key workers. In a letter to the health secretary, they say that the care given by family members is "essential" to residents' mental and physical health. We hear from listener Sara McMahon about the impact not benig able to visit her dad has had on his condition.Plus Dorothy Koomson discusses her new novel All My Lies Are True, sequel to the bestselling The Ice Cream Girls, about two teenage girls accused of the murder of their teacher. Presenter Jane Garvey Producer Beverley PurcellGuest; Baroness Helena Kennedy Guest; Naomi Murphy Guest; Her Excellency Sarah Al-Miri Guest; Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Guest; Dorothy Koomson

A highly-critical review of three medical treatments for women in the UK found thousands of lives had been harmed because officials failed to listen to safety worries and often dismissed them as "women's problems". The Cumberlege Review examined responses to concerns about a hormone pregnancy test, a drug for epilepsy, and vaginal mesh. We spoke to the BBC Health correspondent Anna Collinson, and to Baroness Cumberlege about her review. And we heard reaction from Clare Pelham, CEO of the Epilepsy Society, and Mary McLaughlin, who has campaigned for women affected by pelvic mesh in Ireland.The video games sector makes up more than half of the UK’s entire entertainment market. Women are 50% of those who play but the number of women working in the industry is much lower. Jordan Erica Webber, a video games expert, Katie Goode, who makes VR games, and Abbey Plumb, a producer for a games company discussed their experiences of working in the video games industry.It’s 1957 and Jean Swinney, a journalist on a local paper in the London suburbs, is investigating a story about a virgin birth. As she gets closer to the people involved Jean’s lonely and dutiful life becomes more interesting and she experiences a miracle of her own. Clare Chambers’ book ‘Small Pleasures’ is her first for 10 years and it was an item on Woman’s Hour which sparked the idea.After the death of her mother, Emma Winterschladen has gone through what she calls ‘missed mum moments’ including graduating university, her first job and more recently her engagement. How do motherless daughters navigate these big moments without their mothers? Freelance Editor, writer & illustrator Emma Winterschladen and psychologist Anjula Mutanda discuss.Twenty year old student Abigail McGourlay is the winner of The Arts Society’s national Isolation Artwork competition. She told us about her winning self-portrait 'Brewing'. Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Dianne McGregor

It's 41 years this Sunday that Olive Morris died. She was a Black British feminist and civil rights campaigner. A couple of weeks ago, Google marked what would have been her 68th birthday with a drawing of her on its header. So who was Olive Morris and who are some of the other Black British female activists from the past who we should know about? We talk to Angelina Osborne, a researcher and lecturer, and Olivette Otele who's a professor specialising in Black female history.Eileen Flynn is the first Traveller to be made a Senator in the Irish Parliament. The Irish PM, or Taoiseach, can nominate a handful of people to work in the Upper House and a couple of weeks ago Eileen was one of them. She says it’s an historic moment, especially for Travellers who are so marginalized and stigmatized in Irish society. She talks to us from her home in Donegal. All week we’ve been looking at women and gaming. We've explored how gaming has changed and how it can improve some people's mental health. The UK gaming industry is worth billions and the video games sector makes up more than half of the UK’s entire entertainment market. Women are 50% of those who play and those over 40 are among the fastest growing group of people that play on their smartphones. But the number of women working in the industry is much lower and today we hear from them.Photo Credit: Lambeth Council

One in 5,000 women are born without a womb and many may have to have it removed because of cancer or other conditions. In the past decade there’ve been significant advancements in the development of human uterine transplants – with 56 having taken place world wide – though none have yet been carried out in the UK. Jenni talks to Mr Richard Smith, clinical lead at the charity Womb Transplant UK about the progress we’re making in this country and to Dr Gulzaar Barn, Lecturer in Philosophy at the New College of the Humanities in London, about her concerns about the global market and the protection of vulnerable young women in countries where regulations and protections may not be as stringent as in the UK.We already know that many everyday objects and medicines are not designed with women in mind, but what about our cities? Author of Feminist City Leslie Kern joins Jenni to talk about what an inclusive city might look like: one that puts friendship, pushchairs and more public toilets above skyscrapers and statues. Leslie is Associate Professor of Geography and Environment and Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Mount Allison University, Canada.A new dramatization of the poem Goblin Market will be broadcast this Saturday 11 July on Radio 4. Woven into the recording are the testimonies of sisters whose real lives have been caught up in cycles of addiction. We hear from one of the pairs of sisters - Georgie and Sam Adams. Sam spent five years on heroin and spice and ended up homeless in Wrexham in Wales, but she has since recovered. Georgie has been working with health professionals and rehabilitation services to find a new model of helping people in Wrexham. She joins Jenni to discuss the effects of long term addiction on families, along with Chris Bermingham, a Service Manager from the charity We Are With You (formerly AdAction) in East Ayrshire in Scotland.Presented by Jenni Murray Produced by Sarah Crawley Interviewed guest: Richard Smith Interviewed guest: Gulzaar Barn Interviewed guest: Leslie Kern Interviewed guest: Georgie Adams Interviewed guest: Chris Bermingham

The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review has been released this morning. Baroness Cumberlege led the review into the the effects of vaginal mesh, the hormonal pregnancy test Primodos and the epilepsy drug Sodium Valproate. She discusses its recommendations and her experience of hearing so many moving testimonies from women across the UK. Jenni also hears some initial reaction from Mary McLaughlin, who has campaigned for women affected by pelvic mesh in Ireland, and Clare Pelham, the CEO of the Epilepsy Society who gave evidence to the review about the effects of sodium valproate. School leaving rituals – the sweatshirts, the prom, the signed T-shirts, the school trip and primary school final assembly. How important are they and what impact has the Coronavirus pandemic had on this year’s leavers? Jenni speaks to Juliet Benis, Head Teacher at Ambler Primary School and to A' level student Anna from Bacon's College. Motherless daughters can experience persistent grief for years which peaks during milestones. After the death of her mother Emma Winterschladen has gone through what she calls ‘missed mum moments’ including graduating university, her first job and more recently her engagement. How do motherless daughters navigate these big moments without their mothers? Freelance Editor, writer & illustrator Emma Winterschladen and psychologist Anjula Mutanda discuss the relationship between grief and joy.Presenter: Jenni Murray Producer: Caroline Donne Interviewed guest: Baroness Cumberlege Interviewed guest: Mary McLaughlin Interviewed guest: Clare Pelham Interviewed guest: Juliet Benis Interviewed guest: Emma Winterschladen Interviewed guest: Anjula Mutanda

The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, also known as the Cumberlege review, is finally being published tomorrow after being delayed by Covid-19. It will focus on three health scandals that have severely affected women’s lives including vaginal mesh implants, an oral pregnancy test called Primodos, and an anti-epileptic drug called sodium valproate. The precise medical details between the cases differ, but what they all have in common is that women were given medical products that weren’t properly tested, and then weren’t believed when they complained of side effects further down the line. BBC Health Correspondent Anna Collinson talks about the background to the cases and the review, and Bonita Barrett discusses her experience of seeking help – and being ignored – when she went to her doctor in pain after being given a mesh implant without her consent. It’s 1957 and Jean Swinney, a journalist on a local paper in the London suburbs, is investigating a story about a virgin birth. As she gets closer to the people involved Jean’s lonely and dutiful life becomes more interesting and she experiences a miracle of her own. Clare Chambers’ book ‘Small Pleasures’ is her first for 10 years and it was an item on Woman’s Hour which sparked the idea. There is a concern that some children and pregnant women have missed routine vaccinations in England during the Coronavirus pandemic. Professor Sonia Saxena from Imperial College, London explains why this must be reversed quickly. Jane speaks to the winner of the Winner of The Arts Society’s national Isolation Artwork Competition in support of young artists during lockdown.Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Caroline Donne Interviewed guest: Anna Collinson Interviewed guest: Bonita Barrett Interviewed guest: Clare Chambers Interviewed guest: Sonia Saxena

“Gendered power dynamics underpin the AI debate,” says Ivana Bartoletti. She’s an expert in data privacy and has set up a network called, Women Leading in AI. Ivana believes AI is linked to inequality and oppression. She talks to us about getting more women into coding, our addiction to being online and female cyborgs like Alexa and Siri.Why is the issue of HPV only discussed in relation to younger people? That's a question put by Helen, one of our listeners. The HPV vaccine is currently given to girls and boys in the UK, but would it help if older women got it too? We chat to Helen, as well as Imogen Pinnell from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. The Domestic Abuse Bill 2020 is having its third reading today in the House of Commons. It's taken two years to get to this point. Today we talk to Harriet Wistrich, Director of the Centre for Women’s Justice. She talks to Jane about the Bill’s significance, but more specifically about women prisoners who've offended partly because they've been victims of domestic abuse. She wants a further amendment to be added to the Bill which would give them legal protection. We also hear from Gisela Valle, Director of the Latin American Women’s Rights Service.And we meet Evie Mackenzie. She's part of a winning school-team, who've discovered a way to cut down on plastic waste. It involves mealworms! We chat to Evie and her teacher Thandiwe Banda.

The Domestic Abuse Bill 2020 is currently making its way through Parliament, and will reach the House of Lords by the end of July. For the first time there will be a statutory definition of domestic abuse. The Centre for Women’s Justice is asking for an amendment to the Bill, to create a free-standing offence of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation. We hear from Sandra who was strangled by a former partner and from Nicole Jacobs, the first domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, on why she too is calling for this amendment. We discuss the popularity of the skin lightening industry, despite the dangers and controversy? We hear from Nimmi Dosanjh who is Indian-Kenyan and light-skinned. Her 11 year old daughter is dark-skinned, from Linasha Kotalawala who is a beauty and lifestyle blogger and from Geeta Pandey the Editor of BBC News Online India Women and Social Affairs. The actor Roxanne Scrimshaw tells us about the new film Lynn and Lucy about the lives of two best friends in a close-knit community in Essex whose relationship is tested after a tragedy happens A new government report in Ireland shows that 6,666 women accessed abortions there in 2019. This is the first annual report to be published since medical abortion on demand became legal in Ireland up to twelve weeks of pregnancy What do the figures tell us about abortion care in Ireland now? We hear from Ellen Coyne, a journalist at the Irish Independent newspaper and Dr Trish Horgan, a GP in Cork City and member of START - Southern Taskgroup on Abortion and Reproductive Topics.We hear from Dawn Bilbrough the critical care nurse from York who in the early stages of COVID-19 posted an emotional video on social media that went viral. She was appealing to the public to stop panic buying as she was unable to get the basics in her supermarket after her shift ended. She tells us about the impact of the video and what it has been like working on the frontline. Brit Bennett’s new novel, The Vanishing Half tells the story of twin sisters who run away from a black community in the South at the age of 16. One returns to the town they grew up in, while the other passes for white, withholding her identity from her husband. Dr Janine Bradbury, Senior Lecturer in Literature at York St John University, discusses the history of passing novels and films, many of which offer deeply problematic representations of mixed race women. Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor in Global Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science tells us how Panama implemented a state-enforced lockdown, to combat the spread of COVID-19. She explains how the restrictions which were sex-segregated worked.Presenter: Jenni Murray Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Lucinda Montefiore