The Unfairer Sex

We're back! And in this episode, we speak with Women's safety consultant, Karen Whybro, about the gap between public safety as it’s promised, and how it’s actually experienced. We begin with the Sarah Everard vigil, and the moment that became a catalyst for Karen: laying flowers on Mother’s Day under the threat of a £10,000 fine, and her direct encounter with the police force. From there, the conv...

On 17 June 2025, MPs had the opportunity to vote on two amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill relating to abortion: NC1  aimed to prevent women from being prosecuted for ending their own pregnancy. NC20  went further, seeking to fully decriminalise abortion by repealing the relevant criminal provisions altogether. Both amendments retained the Abortion Act 1967 as the framework for abortion care,...

Know the difference between NC1 and NC20 in the context of decriminalising abortions in the UK? You're not the only one. This episode picks up when our last episode left off, recapping the key details of e-petition 700014 and the two key amendments being tabled to the Crime and Policing Bill – NC1 (Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP) and NC20 (Stella Creasy, Labour MP). We also explain the parliament...

Unbeknown to some, abortion in England and Wales is still a crime under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929, which carries a life sentence for anyone who has or provides an abortion. These laws remain in place despite being repealed in Northern Ireland by Westminster in 2019 and 2020. In this episode, we tackle the relentless control over women’s re...

In 2023, a non-profit research organization, More in Common , found that trust in the police fell from 63% to 53% in the wake of Wayne Couzens ' sentencing. This sharp decline in public confidence reflects a growing distrust of law enforcement, particularly following high-profile cases of police misconduct. In this powerful episode, we speak with Issy Vine who has taken legal action against th...

Witchcraft* – a crime predominately played out by women in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was not a crime before this time because, well, it was completely made up to punish those destabilising gender hierarchies and social hierarchies. This means it also impacted men. Anyone who was oppressed by patriarchal ideals. So much so, that many scholars in this field look at witchcraft as a study of dis...

We've covered the menopause before, but not like this! Dr Wendy Molefi joins Rhiannon and Ely to discuss the differences in menstrual patterns among various ethnicities, why menopause is still considered a social stigma in many minority communities – and how this affects the treatment of women going through the menopause, as well as how we address the misconception that menopause is a loss of ...

In this episode, we dive into the world of contraception, sharing our personal experiences and the insights we’ve gathered through trial and error and plenty of googling! Rather than inviting an expert on to share their medical wisdom, we wanted to walk the walk of an average person – gathering information the way our listeners might and sharing our own experiences with the NHS. Join us for an ope...

In Australia, intimate partner violence contributes to more death, disability and illness in women aged 25-44 than any other preventable risk factor. So far this year in Australia, more than one woman per week has been killed by a male perpetrator. The rate of women killed by an intimate partner in Australia has increased by nearly 30% in 2022-23 (Australian Institute of Criminology), with researc...

We are no strangers to competition – give us a board game or a sports field and we will compete till the cows come home, but in this episode, we talk about an arena in which we refuse to compete. We dive into the historical and ongoing trend of pitting women against each other, from the royal courts of Henry VIII to the pop culture clash between Britney and Christina, and beyond. Why has society l...

One in three. That's the number of women who will experience sexual assault in their lives. And that's an uncomfortable truth Suzie Miller addresses in her play , Prima Facie – recently evolved into a novel by the same name (released 14th March 2024). Keen to better understand the themes behind Prima Facie – namely the limitations of the UK legal system when it comes to cases of rape and s...

Who better to debunk online sex myths than a sex therapist and gynaecologist? The Unfairer Sex is delighted to welcome back Miss Smita Sinha and Dr. Carolin Klein to discuss the importance of language in women's healthcare (vulva vs vagina), shame around female pleasure and why having multiple partners isn't going to make a woman "loose". We also ask Smita and Dr Carolin to debunk their most commo...

We are delighted to have Prof Steve Roberts and Chris Stein return to The Unfairer Sex podcast to talk to us about anger; in particular, how anger manifests itself and the different ways its socially sanctioned and conditioned depending on gender. We discuss the interlink between anger and fear, the support available to men today, why we need to invest in intergenerational support and resolve the...

According to a report by the Female Founders Fund, the menopause market is worth an estimated $600bn – with companies targeting perimenopausal women with everything from vampire facials (PRP) for the vagina to ovary supplements and super blended teas. Whilst women have been crying out for solutions to the 30+ symptoms they can experience during this particular life stage, when the menopause is des...

It is the holiday season and the end of the year, so we wanted to look at the good things that happened in 2023. From sporting achievements to Nobel prize winners, we have 12 good news stories for you! We didn't quite manage to create a song from the 12, but you'll hear we tried a little. Do you have any stories we haven't mentioned? Personal achievements or feminist wins? Let us know!...

Whilst preparing for Ep 39, we reached out to a number of men to ask their thoughts on the term masculinity, possible causes to the growing popularity of misogyny in younger generations, and why some men feel the need to be violent, dominant and/or aggressive. We also asked about what role models are available for men today, and discussed why trying to find all the answers in one person might not...

To mark International Men's Day, The Unfairer Sex teamed up with Chris Stein from Future Men , exploring the concept of masculinity, what it means to be a dynamic and healthy man, role models available to men today and the great work Future Men is doing in our communities. We also discussed Future Men's attempts to get paternity recognised as a protected characteristic in the Equalities Ac...

You've possibly heard of shrinking violets, but have you heard of the shrinking clit? This episode, The Unfairer Sex are joined by Smita Sinha, founder of Serenity Women’s Clinic is a Consultant Gynaecologist with over 15 years experience in Women’s Health and specialises in Menopause and Vulval Health, and Charlotte Body, founder and visionary behind Aesthetic Associates and pause live! to ta...

Sadia Azmat is a comedic force challenging the status quo on being a hijab-wearing, sex-positive Muslim women who also happens to be a fellow podcaster , comedian and author of ' Sex Bomb ' – a deliciously intimate, funny and heartfelt memoir on friendships, love and of course, sex! We discuss western women having a monopoly on love, the practice of arranged marriages and other Indian &amp...

Jeez, it's been a week (or two!) Rather than our usual sorry what did you say, we delved straight into the news – namely the recent cases of celebrity (alleged and proven) sexual assault and rape, and the apologists jumping to their defence. Our main topic is the 2023 Women's World Cup where we look at discrepancies in wages and support for teams, the increase in interest, and the non-consensual k...

Intimacy should come before image. Pleasure should come before profit. And no, a woman's vulva isn't meant to smell of cookies and cream. From role modelling sex communication with partners, to what's appropriate sex ed for children, to shaming women’s sexuality for profit, we are delighted to have Dr Carolin Klein* join us for Ep35 to talk about all things sex. Starting with the absen...

Welcome back to Part Two of our ‘Hey Barbie’ two parter. In this second unapologetically pink episode we cover the criticism of the Barbie film – including the very passionate review that stated it was “ 114 minutes of spiteful, bitter, mean-spirited, borderline unhinged hatred of men ”. Kind of made us want to see it more… We also explore the reasons why Barbieland isn’t a reverse patriarchy and/...

Welcome to Part One of our ‘Hey Barbie’ two parter. In this unapologetically pink episode we cover the history of Barbie, some of the questionable decisions made by Mattel (looking at you Mitch…), whilst also discussing what Barbie – a successful, independent, single, child-free, confident woman – represented at a time where women couldn’t own a credit card and one of the only other dolls on the m...

On December 1st, 1919. Nancy Astor became the first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons. Since then we’ve had 561 different women elected to the House of Commons. 561 out of 5,496 elected MPs total... This episode explores why we need more diversity in politics, the abuse women in politics receive in the media and by other parliamentary members, and why female leaders are not always a v...

Inspired by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro becoming fathers with significantly younger women, and of course, the serial under 25 dater Mr DiCaprio himself, this episode looks at the juxtaposition around 20+ year age gaps; societies are increasingly progressive with their views about how love presents itself, and yet, significant age gaps in relationships still carry a taboo and often face backlash....