The Conversation

How does feminism influence our love lives? Is it possible to hold true to feminist principles of equality when dating apps reduce us to swipe-able products on a page? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who write about sex and dating. Priya Malik is a columnist and spoken word poet, who writes about feminism, love, sex and dating. She moved to Australia with her husband but returned home to Mumbai...

As the coronavirus pandemic spread across the globe, victims of domestic violence found themselves facing a double threat - that of a deadly virus outside and abuse at home. Distress calls to domestic violence hotlines have soared - leaving charities overwhelmed and struggling to meet demand. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women supporting domestic abuse survivors. Hospitalised by a former partner tw...

Two women who’ve used music to empower women talk to Kim Chakanetsa about writing a song that becomes a rallying cry around the world. Madame Gandhi is a percussionist, producer and activist who has drummed for M.I.A and toured with Oprah. Her musical catalogue doubles as a manifesto for gender equality. Sibila Sotomayor is part of LasTesis - a collective of four female artists in Chile who wrote...

Two women with albinism talk to Kim Chakanetsa about countering superstition and prejudice around the condition.   As a ‘white African’ growing up in Nigeria Ikponwosa Ero was well aware of the danger some people with the condition face. In June 2015 she was appointed the first UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism and campaigns against stigmatisation, myt...

Nurses risking their lives to treat coronavirus patients. Hospitals around the world - and in particular Intensive Care Units - have been described as the frontline of the pandemic. It's there that the sickest Covid19 patients are looked after round-the-clock by highly specialised nurses. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two of them at the height of the current outbreak. Hannah Gray is a 23-year-old nurse...

The vagina: separating myth from fact. Kim Chakanetsa and her two expert guests examine a part of the body that's often shrouded in mystery and shame. Dr Jen Gunter has been described as the world's most famous gynaecologist, and is also known as a fierce critic of the multi-million dollar wellness industry. The Canadian-American author of The Vagina Bible says 'Weaponizing women’s bodies is profi...

Riding across continents in some of the world's toughest cycle races.  Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who've used their reserves of physical and mental strength.   Fiona Kolbinger was the winner of the Transcontinental Race in 2019. She crossed Europe, from Bulgaria to France - a distance of 4000km - in ten days two hours and 48 minutes. She beat the second closest rider, a man, by almost six h...

Two women from South Africa and Australia discuss ‘toxic masculinity’ with Kim Chakanetsa. How can we raise boys to be in touch with their emotions and to become men who respect women? Clementine Ford is an Australian feminist whose books Fight Like A Girl and Boys Will Be Boys challenge traditional gender stereotyping. She regularly receives death and rape threats from people who accuse her of be...

Female jazz musicians speaking out about sexism and harassment in the improvised music world. While jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are iconic figures, female instrumentalists and composers have struggled to get the recognition they deserve. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women addressing this inequality and promoting female performers. A recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award,...

The Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg may be the most well known, but climate change protests around the world are being led by young women. Activists from Uganda and Belgium tell Kim Chakanetsa why they are building huge movements in their countries. Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, a 22 year old Ugandan college student, has been protesting since 2017. She realized climate change was the cause of droughts...

What is the impact on women when societies stay silent about sex? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women about why they think it's important to talk about sex openly and the price we pay when we don't. Bestselling Moroccan author Leila Slimani says that in a country where the law punishes and outlaws all forms of sex outside marriage, as well as homosexuality and prostitution, women have only two optio...

Our oceans are threatened by plastic pollution and overfishing. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two pioneering women who are working to sustain our seas. Asha de Vos is a marine biologist who founded Oceanswell, Sri Lanka's first marine conservation and research organisation. Asha's particular research interest is blue whales. She says every stretch of coastline needs its own local hero, and it doesn't h...

The impact of leaving women's bodies out of research ranges from phones that are too big for female hands, to women being more likely to die if they're in a car accident. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women investigating the data gender gap and how to resolve it. Caroline Criado Perez says a ‘one-size-fits-men’ approach to design, technology and research has resulted in a myriad of instances where w...

Life-changing pain from supposedly routine implant operations. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women who were injured by medical devices, and have gone on to campaign for concerns about them to be taken seriously in the UK and US. Kath Sansom set up Sling The Mesh in 2015, ten weeks after having a trans-vaginal mesh implant for stress urinary incontinence (SUI), which immediately caused her excruciat...

History is told by the victor, and he's usually male. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two historians who've made it their mission to track down 'ordinary' women of the past, and carve out a proper place in the history books for them. Hallie Rubenhold is a social historian whose book The Five focuses on Jack the Ripper's victims. These were real women with varied lives, before being killed and - mostly in...

The relationship between women and democracy in Brazil and Bhutan - Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women with a passionate interest in their country's political system. Petra Costa's parents were dissidents under the military dictatorship in Brazil, and she was two when democracy returned. Petra filmed with the first female President Dilma Rousseff, as she was impeached in 2016, and followed the rise...

Is veganism more than just a food fad or diet trend? Research suggests the majority of vegans are female - why? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who promote a vegan diet about the challenges they face getting their message across - and the anger they encounter from those who see it as a criticism of their own choices. Selene Nelson is a British American freelance journalist, activist and author o...

On Love Island and Date My Family - what's it like to date in front of millions? With TV dating shows the idea is for romance to blossom between contestants, but can fame and fortune also follow? Kim Chakanetsa brings together two women who know. Montana Brown is one of the breakout stars of the British TV show Love Island. She took part in 2017 and became popular for her no-nonsense attitude and...

Around 90% of all startup investment currently goes to male-led companies. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women who specialise in funding and supporting female startups, about why they believe investing in women is the smart choice. Marta Krupinksa is the Head of Google for Startups UK, and aims to encourage more women and under-represented founders to take the plunge into business. Marta herself co...

Why does maintaining tribal traditions matter to these women? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two indigenous activists from Ecuador and the US about the lengths they are going to to protect their way of life from external threats. Nina Gualinga is a leader of the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Her people's lands cover more than 333,000 acres, mostly made up of pristine forest. Beca...

Two women making comic books more diverse speak to Kim Chakanetsa about working in a male-dominated industry and why they're so keen to represent women and minorities in comic books. G. Willow Wilson is a novelist and comic writer from the USA. She's best known for relaunching MS Marvel, starring Kamala Khan, a 16 year old Muslim female superhero, who takes over the mantle after Carol Danvers beco...

Two women who set up book festivals that have gone on to become hugely successful in their own countries and beyond tell Kim Chakanetsa about the importance of women having space to talk about their writing with an audience that understands. Namita Gokhale directs the Jaipur Literature Festival with the British author William Dalrymple. The Festival has hosted nearly 2000 speakers and welcomed ove...

Rhianna Pratchett and Ieva Beneckė talk to Kim Chakanetsa about their love of gaming and the impact they can have in an industry that's still dominated by men. What difference does women working in the industry have on the games themselves? It was while she was a journalist in London and reviewing computer games that Rhianna Pratchett was asked to story edit a game herself. Her award winning scrip...

Two women who've made it their mission to smash period taboos, and make it easier for girls to manage their menstrual health. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to campaigners from India and Tanzania. When Aditi Gupta got her first period she was banned from sitting on the family sofa or touching certain foods. From the women in her family she also learned to feel shame and to hide her damp menstrual rags in d...

Poets Leticia Sala and Nikita Gill on being taken seriously by the establishment after launching their careers on social media. They talk to Kim Chakanetsa about overcoming snobbery around the title 'insta-poet' and balancing being able to share their work with millions of people with the immediacy of follower feedback. Nikita Gill is a British-Indian writer and artist. Born in Belfast, she spent...