The 51%

While millions follow the World Cup, studies reveal a noticeable uptick in domestic abuse causing women’s rights activists to raise the flag. Annette Young also talks to FRANCE 24's Selina Sykes, who's covering the World Cup, about the issues women journalists face in covering such events.  Also in Pakistan, a small but growing DJ scene is transforming the music industry in this traditionally cons...

How a French government inquiry has uncovered systemic judicial failures in investigating a man who's now accused of the murder of an 11-year-old schoolgirl. Her death has prompted mass protests nationwide. Also pregnant women in India are now entitled to 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave. But in a society which still has very traditional values, how many women actually return to work after c...

As we mark 100 years since her birth, the enduring legacy of Marilyn Monroe means she still shapes ideas of what makes an ideal woman. Annette Young talks to Professor Amanda Konkle, a film specialist, as to why this is the case. Also the ongoing impact of Ebola continues to be felt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the spread of a deadly strain of the virus is placing pregnant women at e...

Not a day goes past without headlines revealing the far-reaching global impact of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. In a special edition, we examine what lessons can be learned from the Epstein files and other similar scenarios; what they reveal about power, accountability and the systems which allowed the late paedophile's crimes to continue for so long.

In a special edition, we examine how climate change is affecting the lives of women as rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather events continue to impact communities worldwide. This as the world is also facing a warming El Nino climate pattern in the coming months. We report from India where a series of recent intense heatwaves has pushed temperatures to dangerous levels and posed a pa...

A UK judge's decision in late May to spare three teenage boys convicted of raping two girls from prison sentences has sparked outrage. The UK attorney general has referred the judgment to the Court of Appeal. Also studies reveal that nearly two-thirds of women over 50 are struggling with their mental health and not getting the professional help they so badly need. Annette Young talks to Professor...

Nearly a decade has passed since allegations against Harvey Weinstein first emerged in the US, sparking the global #MeToo movement. Now, Australian actor Cate Blanchett says the movement has been killed off in Hollywood. So as the Cannes Film Festival comes to a close, we focus on the accusations surrounding the event, alongside broader discussions about sexual violence within the film industry.  

With a notable decline in birthrates, France is now providing free egg retrieval for young women. But the health system is struggling to cope as a growing number decide to take up the offer. This as the French government is to send letters to 29-year-old women and men, asking them to reflect if they indeed want children. Annette Young talks to French journalist, Diane de Vignemont, on why this app...

How the social media platform, TikTok, is becoming a key tool for criminals to recruit women and girls into prostitution networks. Also, Myanmar's military government has expanded its ban on menstrual products, claiming resistance groups use them as first aid for injured fighters. Annette Young talks to women's health consultant, Henriette Ceyrac, as to why this is fast becoming a health issue for...

In France, a new trend is raising eyebrows as an increasing number of children and pre-teens adopt elaborate skincare routines. But behind the glossy promise of perfect skin, experts warn that many of these products are ill-suited to young faces and may even increase the risk of allergies.

Marie-Louise Eta has broken barriers in football as the first woman to coach a top-tier European men's club at Union Berlin. But the historic appointment has also triggered a wave of misogynistic attacks.

On one of Paris's most prestigious avenues stands the former home of Jeffrey Epstein. As the world has discovered, the late convicted paedophile's activities went way beyond simply owning real estate around the world. In a special edition, Annette Young speaks to survivors and their supporters who are urging French authorities to deepen their investigation – not only into Epstein's actions in Fran...

In this edition, we explore the creative brilliance of French author, George Sand as we mark the 150th anniversary of her death. Annette Young speaks to UK author and poet Fiona Sampson, whose latest book is about the trailblazing, cross-dressing writer who went on to inspire the Brontë sisters. Also, parents in Northern Ireland who experience a miscarriage are now entitled to two weeks of paid le...

In this edition, we meet French farmer Laura Chalendard, who reported a sexual assault in 2023 and when no charges followed, launched a #MeToo movement in the agricultural sector to empower women to speak out against sexual violence. Also how perimenopause and menopause in female employees are worsening Germany's labour shortage and prompting a number of companies to confront what has long been on...

In this edition, we focus on the world of philanthropy, with a spotlight on women donors. This as charities come under growing pressure, amid a shifting political climate that's impacting support for diversity and inclusion and especially as a significant chunk of funding goes to women and girls around the world. MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, gave more away in 2025 tha...

As the US–Israeli war with Iran continues, we focus on the heavy toll it is taking on women and children across the Middle East. Scores of civilians have already been killed throughout the region, with Iranians accounting for the majority of the deaths. Many more have been injured, while millions have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. As in many conflicts, women and children are...

How the murder of a Chechen woman in the southern French city of Nice has resulted in local Chechen women speaking out against patriarchal traditions which normally force them to remain silent. Also amid the devastation in Gaza, a Palestinian coach is teaching women and girls to box to help them cope with the trauma of living in a war zone. Plus the tale of one breast cancer survivor in Kenya who...

As former British prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is arrested over ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the scandal spreads to France, where Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation into a former government minister and his daughter. Also as we mark four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the number of Ukrainian women entering the military...

With French female astronaut Sophie Adenot joining the crew at the International Space Station, it is the perfect moment to reflect on the role of women in space; a field still very much dominated by men. Yet years before Adenot set her sights on a career in space, other women were actively involved in the sector. But despite their achievements in computing, engineering and even on board the launc...

From Tokyo to Toronto, Delhi to Paris, millions of women plan their journeys: choosing where to sit, when to travel, and how to stay alert. More than 70 percent of women worldwide have encountered sexual harassment in public spaces, including on transit. Here in France, the number of victims of sexual violence on public transport, recorded by law enforcement, has increased by 86 percent in almost...

In France, nearly one in two nurses have reported experiencing sexual violence at work, this according to a new study by the country's Nursing Council. In 2025, more than two cases were reported each day, but despite this, reporting rates are extremely low. From this year, a simplified alert system will be available for victims.

This week we are talking about anger, the emotion that shaped 2025. So much so that "rage bait" was crowned the Oxford Dictionary's word of the year. But while anger has long been rewarded, even celebrated, when expressed by men, women's fury has remained something of a taboo; dismissed as hysteria or rudeness. But is a cultural reckoning underway, where women are finally being heard – not despite...

This week, we focus on Iran as the country has been rocked by its largest wave of protests since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Human rights groups outside Iran report that thousands have been killed so far. Yet amid the turmoil, women activists and youth campaigners are at the forefront of the struggle, seeking to chart a new course for the nation after decades of repressive rule under the Islam...

There's global outrage over Elon Musk's chatbot Grok, a key feature on social media platform X, which has repeatedly generated sexually explicit deepfake images of women and teenagers. Yet how social media can be used for good; Annette Young talks to Nika Kovač from My Voice, My Choice about using Instagram, TikTok and other platforms to help win a historic European Parliament vote on expanding ab...