

Woman's Hour
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
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 8, 2024 • 58min
Vapes, Phoebe Dynevor and Amelia Earhart's legacy
A BBC investigation has uncovered evidence that vapes are being used to groom children into sexual or criminal exploitation. Last week, the Prime Minister announced that disposable vapes are set to be banned as part of plans to tackle the rising number of young people taking up vaping - measures will also be introduced to prevent vapes being marketed at children and to target under-age sales. However, there are concerns that banning the sale of vapes will encourage children to seek them elsewhere. Emma Barnett is joined by the BBC’s Hayley Hassall and the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza. Apparently, if you’re a middle-aged couple and your sex life has faded away you may be experiencing the “couplepause”. The therapist and writer Lucy Cavendish joins Emma to explain what this is and how to get the spark back. Actor Phoebe Dynevor, best known as Daphne Bridgerton in the Netflix blockbuster series, joins Emma in the studio. Her most recent role, as an ambitious hedge fund manager in the film Fair Play, has earned her a nomination for the EE Rising Star award at this year’s Baftas.New sonar images from deep in the Pacific Ocean might have located the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s missing plane. Has Earhart’s disappearance finally been solved, or has the obsession with this mystery distracted us from the pioneering woman herself? Pilot Katherine Moloney and historian Dr Darren Reid discuss Amelia Earhart, her legacy, and women in aviation today.Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Emma Pearce

Feb 7, 2024 • 57min
Businesswoman and entrepreneur Emma Grede, Crystal Hefner, Social media algorithms and misogyny
Emma Grede, businesswoman and entrepreneur, shares her insights on business failures and investments. Hannah Blythyn discusses the toxic culture of misogyny in the South Wales fire service. Crystal Hefner talks about her experiences at the Playboy Mansion. The podcast also addresses social media algorithms and misogyny.

Feb 6, 2024 • 57min
Rhianon Bragg, Women of Substance, ultramarathon runner Allie Bailey
Rhianon Bragg, a hostage survivor, shares her experience of being held captive by her ex-boyfriend. Ultramarathon runner Allie Bailey discusses her struggles with alcoholism and mental health while running the length of the Panama Canal. Sally Marlow explores the relationship between women artists and their addictions. The podcast also covers a controversial bet by the Prime Minister and the need for better support for abuse victims.

Feb 5, 2024 • 56min
Ambika Mod, Forgiveness, Grandparent classes, Grammys
Ambika Mod stars as Emma in the new Netflix adaptation of David Nicholls’ much-loved novel One Day. She acts opposite Leo Woodall as Dex, and their comedic romance plays out over 14 episodes and 20 years. You may have seen Ambika as Shruti, the junior doctor with a pivotal plot line in the BBC labour ward drama This is Going to Hurt. She joins Anita Rani in the Woman’s Hour studio to talk about now taking the lead.A new programme on Radio 4, Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line, explores how you survive and restore your life, when something truly appalling is done to you. Anita is joined by the founder of the Forgiveness Project, Marina Cantacuzino and Marian Partington, whose sister Lucy was murdered by Fred and Rosemary West in 1973.Grandparent antenatal classes give grandparents-to-be the chance to brush up on practical skills and get key advice on how to look after young kids again. Anita talks to Dr Francesca Dooley, founder of Happy Parents Happy Baby where she runs grandparent classes, and Francesca’s mother Beverly Bonora who was in her first ever class.Taylor Swift has made history at the Grammys by winning album of the year for a fourth time. Billie Elish, SZA and Miley Cyrus also took home major awards. Even Jay-Z got in on the act, calling out the fact that his wife Beyonce has never won album of the year. Anita discusses with Jude Rogers, arts and culture journalist for the Guardian and Observer and Tschepo Mokoena, freelance culture writer and author of Beyonce, Lives of Musicians.

Feb 3, 2024 • 58min
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Candace Bushnell, Lisa St Aubin de Terán, Ideological Gender Gap
Candace Bushnell, creator of Sex and the City, talks about her one-woman show and the origin of the hit series. Lisa St Aubin de Terán discusses her return to writing after 20 years and her memoir. Dr. Alice Evans and Professor Rosie Campbell explore the ideological gender gap among young people worldwide. The podcast also touches on topics such as fighting HMRC, the concept of cuteness in culture, and family decision-making.

Feb 2, 2024 • 57min
Candace Bushnell, No Queens in Europe, Early Years recruitment
Europe is currently without any queens since the abdication of Queen Margarethe II of Denmark. The creator of Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell, discusses her one-woman show about creating the hit series. The podcast also explores government efforts to recruit nursery and childcare practitioners, the importance of diversity in the childcare profession, and the challenges faced by female monarchs in Europe.

Feb 1, 2024 • 58min
Kaye Adams, Chemical attack, Gender gap, Saint Brigid
"Ayesha Nayyar, solicitor who has previously represented victims of acid crime", discusses the impact of acid attacks on victims. Kaye Adams talks about her 10-year battle with HMRC over unpaid taxes. Researchers explore the gender gap between young men and women. A photography project celebrates women named Bridget.

Jan 31, 2024 • 57min
Arlene Foster, french women and high heels
Former Northern Ireland First Minister, Arlene Foster, discusses the return to devolution in Northern Ireland and Brexit. Author Fiona Williams talks about her novel and navigating issues of race. The BBC investigation on police misogyny is explored. The shift in French fashion towards comfortable shoes is discussed with a fashion history professor and shoe designer.

Jan 30, 2024 • 57min
Misogyny in the music industry, author Lisa St Aubin de Terán, cervical smears
Caroline Nokes and Vick Bain discuss the serious problems faced by women in the music industry. Sky Sports presenter Jo Wilson opens up about her experience with cervical cancer and the importance of smear tests. Lisa St Aubin de Terán talks about her new book and her remarkable life experiences. The chapter descriptions touch on topics such as misogyny in the music industry, the reluctance of women to book smear tests after a difficult birth, and the mystery of the origin of mad cow disease.

Jan 29, 2024 • 57min
Fasting and women, Conscription, Cuteness exhibition
Former RAF Group Captain and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel discuss the role of women in a potential 'citizen army'. They also talk about the concept of intermittent fasting and how men and women should approach it differently. The podcast shares the remarkable story of twins separated at birth and sold to different families in Georgia. It also explores the power of cuteness in contemporary culture and questions its association with gender and commercial use.


