Woman's Hour

Grace Davidson was a teenager when she was diagnosed with a rare condition that meant she did not have a uterus. But, following a transplant using her sister's donated womb, she gave birth earlier this year to baby Amy. Nuala McGovern speaks to to Isabel Quiroga, the surgeon who led the transplant team at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, and to Lydia Brain, who is currently on the waiting list for a womb transplant.A recent study into synthetic hair, which many black women use to achieve popular hair styles including braids, found that ten samples of the most well-used brands contained carcinogens, and in some cases, lead. It's provoked a big reaction online. Nuala McGovern is joined by academic and author of Don't Touch My Hair, Emma Dabiri, and also by BBC Correspondent Chelsea Coates.New play Shanghai Dolls explores the relationship between two of the most influential women in Chinese history during the cultural revolution; Jiang Qing (also known as Madame Mao – one of the architects of the Cultural Revolution) and Sun Weishi, China’s first female director. Amy Ng the playwright and Gabby Wong who plays Madame Mao join Nuala in the Woman’s Hour Studio.Set in a quiet 1950s seaside town in a boarding house full of strange characters, Jess Kidd’s new novel Murder at Gull’s Nest is the first in a new series of books. Jess talks to Nuala about the heroine of the series, the fearless former nun Nora Breen, who has left behind her enclosed order of nuns after 30 years to solve crimes.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

If you've been watching The White Lotus, you might be counting down the hours until the season three finale airs tonight. One of the themes central to this series has been female friendship, and it's left us wondering - is three a crowd? This dynamic plays out in the show between the trio of friends Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie, played by Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon, who alternate between loving and loathing one another. So can friendships between three people work? TV critic Rachael Sigee and relationships writer at the Independent Olivia Petter join Nuala McGovern.An investigation for a documentary that will air on BBC1 NorthWest tonight by the BBC's Hayley Hassell asks: How safe are our nurseries? There have been almost 20,000 reports of serious childcare incidents in nurseries in England in the past five years, some with devastating outcomes. Nurseries are highly regulated, so how did some of them mislead Ofsted about their practices?Two years ago, Sudan was thrown into disarray when its army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a powerful paramilitary group called Rapid Support Forces, began a vicious struggle for power. The civil war, which continues to this day, has claimed more than 150,000 lives, displaced millions of people and plunged parts of the country into famine. Mass sexual violence has also been widely documented as a weapon of war. Hala al-Karib is a Sudanese activist and regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA). One of the BBC World Service’s 100 Women 2024, she gives us the latest from Sudan.Conceiving Histories: Trying for Pregnancy, Past and Present is a blend of memoir and history, illustrated with over 100 original colour images. More than a decade in the making, its author, Dr Isabel Davis, talks about using frogs for pregnancy tests, phantom pregnancies and the brief fashion for looking pregnant even if you weren’t.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

One manifesto pledge of the incoming Labour government was to provide over 3000 new nurseries in empty school classrooms in England. The first 300 of these will open by September and offer an average of 20 places each. Nuala McGovern speaks to Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, about this announcement and also about the current state of provision and funding for children with special education needs.Darkly funny, unsettling, and razor-sharp, I Hope You’re Happy by Marni Appleton is a haunting collection of short stories exploring modern womanhood through the lens of horror and satire. From viral photos to eerie performances in dead-end jobs, these stories capture the weirdness of millennial life... where power struggles, fleeting connections, and social media anxieties collide with the surreal. Marni joined Nuala to discuss the themes and her inspiration.A new exhibition called Curious Cures at Cambridge University Library explores medicine in the medieval era. Dozens of unique medical manuscripts, recipes, cures and guides to healthy living from the 14th and 15th centuries are on display. To discuss women’s role in medieval medicine, Nuala was joined by the exhibition’s curator and medieval manuscripts specialist, Dr James Freeman.The Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood believes “prison isn’t working” for women and wants to reduce the number of female prisoners. Nuala speaks to Scarlett Roberts, a former prisoner and is now a Churchill Fellow and to former prisoner Jules Rowan, who co-hosts the Life After Prison podcast. They are joined by former prisoner officer and former Head of Security and Operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs Vanessa Frake-Harris, and by prison Intelligence Analyst, author of Five by Five, Claire Wilson and Lucy Russell, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the charity Women in Prison. The Neonatal Care Act starts tomorrow. It allows employed parents to take up to 12 weeks of additional leave on top of their maternity or paternity leave if their newborn baby stays in hospital for more than seven days. We hear from Catriona Ogilvy, founder of premature baby charity The Smallest Things, who has been fighting for this law change for 10 years.Echo vom Eierstock is Switzerland’s first feminist yodelling choir. Elena Kaiser is their founder and joined Nuala to discuss where her love of yodelling came from, and why she is challenging the make-up of traditional yodelling choirs and songs.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Emma Pearce

The Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood believes “prison isn’t working” for women and wants to reduce the number of female prisoners. So what has gone wrong? Nuala McGovern speaks to Scarlett Roberts who is a former prisoner and is now a Churchill Fellow and to former prisoner Jules Rowan, now a personal trainer, who co-hosts the Life After Prison podcast. They are joined by former prisoner officer and former Head of Security and Operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs Vanessa Frake-Harris, and by prison Intelligence Analyst and author of Five by Five, Claire Wilson. And Lucy Russell, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the charity Women in Prison, describes the challenges faced by women in prison today.What can be done to improve the prison system for women? Nuala speaks to justice system reformer Lady Edwina Grosvenor about her pioneering project Hope Street in Southampton, which aims to keep women in criminal justice system out of jail and with their children and to Alex Davies Jones MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice about the Government's plans to tackle the issue of women's prisons.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

Chinese PHD student Zhenhao Zou was recently convicted for drugging and raping 10 different women in both London and China. Police only managed to identify two of those 10 women, but have just announced that a further 23 women have now come forward with allegations. No victims have given media interviews before but Wanqing Zhang, senior reporter from the BBC’s Global China Unit, has managed to make contact with two of the women.Sally Phillips is the actor, writer, comedian, presenter and disability rights campaigner. Her career includes successful television British comedies such as Smack the Pony, I’m Alan Partridge, and Miranda. And she has recently reprised her role as Shazzer, in the latest Bridget Jones film - Mad About the Boy. She joins Datshiane Navanayagam to talk about her new BBC comedy series, Austin, playing an illustrator married to a much-loved children’s author performed by Ben Miller.Social media influencer Danielle Mansutti says she is suing a Harley Street plastic surgeon after she says she was left with what she describes as overly large breasts and what she says is 'a poor cosmetic appearance'. If you are someone who has an elective cosmetic procedure - how much control can you expect to have over the end result? Marc Pacifico, an aesthetic cosmetic surgeon and President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and Ashton Collins, Director of Save Face - a UK-based register of safe, ethical, and qualified medical aesthetic practitioners, discuss.The Neonatal Care Act starts next week. It allows employed parents to take up to 12 weeks of additional leave on top of their maternity or paternity leave if their newborn baby stays in hospital for more than seven days. We hear from Catriona Ogilvy, founder of premature baby charity The Smallest Things, who has been fighting for this law change for 10 years.How much do you worry about the amount of time your child or children spend on their phone or computer? Have you tried to do something to limit access? We were contacted by a concerned listener who has two children aged 12 and 15. She would like tech companies to help support putting restrictions in place. To discuss the dilemma for parents and what parents can do we hear from BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman.Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Kirsty Starkey

One manifesto pledge of the incoming Labour government was to provide over 3000 new nurseries in empty school classrooms in England. The first 300 of these will open by September and offer an average of 20 places each. Nuala McGovern speaks to Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, about this announcement and also about the current state of provision and funding for children with special education needs.The family of a woman who is dangerously ill with anorexia is challenging a previous court decision which ruled she cannot be force fed. The family want the Court of Protection judge to make a new decision which would allow a hospital to act so that her life can be saved. We speak to the woman's aunt, and also hear from MIchelle Wright, who says she was in a similar position, on an end of life programme in a hospice, but who has now been recovered for 15 years and is speaking out for the first time. Plus we hear from law and philosophy academic Dr Camillia Kong who explains what will be considered as the Court makes its decisions in the patient’s ‘best interests’.Over the last few weeks Woman’s Hour has been talking to some of the writers who have been longlisted in the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Non-fiction this year. Well this morning, the shortlist for the fiction prize has just been announced. Nuala is joined by the author and Chair of Judges Kit de Waal.Echo vom Eierstock is Switzerland’s first feminist yodelling choir. Elena Kaiser is their founder and joins Nuala to discuss where her love of yodelling came from, and why she is challenging the make-up of traditional yodelling choirs and songs.

Irish actor Caitríona Balfe was nominated for a Bafta for her performance in Kenneth Branagh’s film Belfast and is also known to many as Claire in time travel drama series Outlander. Caitríona joins Nuala McGovern in the studio to discuss her latest role in new film The Amateur, playing a Russian spy alongside Rami Malek. There has been a "significant increase" in the number of female swimmers having indecent images taken of them in changing rooms whilst competing in the elite level of the sport, according to a leaked report. The Times newspaper has seen a report by the sport’s governing body Swim England which states that pictures have been taken using camera phones over or under cubicles. Nuala is joined by BBC Sport correspondent Laura Scott and Mhairi Maclennan, CEO of Kyniska Advocacy, which supports women and victims of abuse in sport. The latest figures on child maintenance show there is currently £690m unpaid, leaving thousands of children without the financial support they are entitled to. Critics argue that the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is failing to use its legal powers, while the Government says enforcement measures are improving. As an inquiry by the cross-party House of Lords Public Services committee calls for evidence, we look at how unpaid child maintenance can be used as a form of economic abuse. Nuala hears from Sam Smethers, Chair of the charity Surviving Economic Abuse, and a survivor whose ex-partner used the system to control her.A new exhibition called Curious Cures at Cambridge University Library explores medicine in the medieval era. Dozens of unique medical manuscripts, recipes, cures and guides to healthy living from the 14th and 15th centuries are on display. To discuss women’s role in medieval medicine, Nuala is joined by the exhibition’s curator and medieval manuscripts specialist, Dr James Freeman.Grammy award-winning singer Chappell Roan has been causing a stir with some comments she made about motherhood on the podcast Call Her Daddy. The 27-year-old singer said her friends her age who have kids "are in hell", adding "I actually don't know anyone who's happy and has children at this age." So is motherhood worth it - or is Chappell Roan right? Anna Whitehouse, also known as Mother Pukka, is a campaigner and mum of five. She joins us to discuss. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Dr. Janet Barter discusses the new accessibility of emergency contraception for women, shedding light on healthcare equity. Louise McLeod brings attention to the pressing challenges faced by children with special educational needs and the urgent need for better support systems. Author Marnie Appleton shares her insights on millennial womanhood, blending horror and satire in her short stories. Together, they tackle issues of tradition, identity, and challenges in education, creating a rich and engaging conversation.

In the documentary Growing up Gypsy, Stacey Dooley gets to know three young English Romany Gypsy women. Invited into the traditionally private community, Stacey discovers the complex balancing act the young women face growing up in one of Britain’s most maligned ethnic minorities. She meets 23 year old Chantelle who prides herself in keeping with the ‘old’ Gypsy values her granny Rita taught her and shares her ‘Gypsy Cleaning’ videos on social media where she has nearly 400,000 followers on TikTok and 15 million likes on her page. Chantelle joined Kylie Pentelow to talk about her life, alongside Stacey Dooley.In this week’s Women’s Prize discussion, Clare McDonnell heard from two authors about the debut books they’ve had long-listed for this year’s prestigious literary prize. Sanam Mahloudji’s novel, The Persians, tells the story of the Valiat family from the perspective of five women from 1940s Iran into a splintered 2000s. And Labour MP Yuan Yang’s non-fiction book, Private Revolutions, explores the lives of four women born in China in the 1980s and 90s during a time of rapid change in society.Since its release, the Netflix TV series Adolescence has caused widespread discussion about what’s shaping our teenagers’ lives. The four-part series follows the fallout from 13-year-old Jamie’s arrest on suspicion of murdering his female classmate, Katie. The show is a critique of social media-boosted toxic masculinity and its role in the teenage experience. Clare discussed the issues with clinical psychologist, Dr Amani Milligan and Consultant Forensic Psychologist, Dr Ruth Tully.Do you enjoy a bit of gossip? The thrill of being the first to hear something and sharing it, or the irresistible urge to be let into the lives of others? What’s the difference between idle gossip and hurtful criticism behind someone’s back, do women gossip as much as men and can gossip be used to keep women safe? American journalist Kelsey McKinney joined Clare to discuss her new book, You Didn't Hear This From Me: Notes on the Art of Gossip.Technology journalist and author Lara Lewington asks how artificial intelligence can improve women’s health, and what we are ready for it to do for us? From prevention and diagnostics to testing and tracking, we speak to female experts, scientists and practitioners. Her experts include Madhumita Murgia, AI Editor of the Financial Times, Nell Thornton, Improvement Fellow, The Health Foundation and Dr Ellie Cannon, a GP and author.This week we heard how victims and survivors of domestic abuse want the police to better protect them from perpetrators, but there's also a very practical and positive way some women have been trying to process their trauma to build a future for themselves. British boxer Lesley Sackey - who previously won gold at the EU Championships - is a survivor of an abusive relationship and now helps other women to gain confidence and move forward by getting into the boxing ring. She joined Claire, along with Olivia Culverhouse, who took part in Lesley’s 10-week Fight Forward course.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Sarah Crawley

In the documentary Growing up Gypsy Stacey Dooley gets to know three young English Romany Gypsy women. Invited into the traditionally private community, Stacey discovers the complex balancing act the young women face growing up in one of Britain’s most maligned ethnic minorities. She meets 23 year old Chantelle who prides herself in keeping with the ‘old’ Gypsy values her granny Rita taught her and shares her ‘Gypsy Cleaning’ videos on social media where she has nearly 400,000 followers on TikTok and 15 million likes on her page. Chantelle joins Kylie Pentelow to talk about her life, alongside Stacey Dooley.If you've been in a pub you might have seen the posters which tells you to Ask for Angela at the bar if you feel unsafe. In response to hearing the word "Angela", trained staff should offer to help you leave the property safely. The national scheme was set up in 2016 to help anyone who is feeling vulnerable on a night out to get the support they need. It was named after Angela Crompton, who was killed by her husband in 2012. Her name becoming the codeword. However, recent BBC secret filming revealed that more than half of venues visited failed to respond correctly, with many staff members completely unaware of what to do. Angela's daughter Hollie explains why she is calling for government action to ensure it is implemented properly.The Oscar-nominated actor Lily Gladstone is the first Native American woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award – and the first indigenous woman to win a Best Actress Golden Globe, both for her role as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon. Now she's starring in the romantic comedy The Wedding Banquet. Lily explains her character's journey through IVF, how she chooses roles and the responsibility she feels in representing her community.In the 1970s, British sociologist, Professor Ann Oakley, led a ground-breaking project called Becoming a Mother. She spoke to over 50 first-time mothers before and after they gave birth. What she found reshaped how we think about motherhood and started a sea-change in practice and policy around maternity care. Now a new project takes that legacy forward. It’s called 50 Years of Becoming a Mother and is led by Professor Ann Oakley and Dr Charlotte Faircloth at the UCL Social Research Institute. They will revisit the original mothers, and study 55 new mothers, to understand how women’s experiences of motherhood have changed over the last 5 decades.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Kirsty Starkey Editor: Karen Dalziel