Woman's Hour

This programme was recorded before the police announced an investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death. Ann Widdecombe's political career spanned decades, serving as Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years, and a minister in John Major's government, then later becoming an MEP and joining Reform UK in 2023. She was also well known for her TV appearances including taking part in Strictly Come Danci...

Iranian writer, Shahrnush Parsipur, who spent her life documenting what it meant to be a woman living under repression in Iran, died this week in the US, at the age of 80. Anita Rani talks to Iranian journalist Paxima Mojavvezi about Shahrnush, a pioneer of feminist literature, whose book Women Without Men was banned in Iran, but nevertheless became an underground bestseller. According to the Roya...

Emma Grede is a British serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and mother of four. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Good American, and a founding partner of SKIMS. Recognised for her achievements, Emma has been featured on Forbes' America’s Richest Self-Made Women list. She made history as the first woman of colour to serve as a judge on ABC’s Shark Tank. Emma joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her boo...

New research into IVF and donor eggs suggests that older women face a lower chance of fertility treatment working, even when using young donor eggs - with a marked drop-off from around the age of 49. Experts studying more than 1700 women say the findings challenge the idea that donor eggs can fully "reset" the reproductive clock - BUT that they should not put older couples off trying. Researchers...

Parents are being warned about the risks of posting images of their children online due to an increase in AI-generated child abuse imagery. The Internet Watch Foundation found 3,440 AI-generated videos of child sexual abuse in 2025, compared with just 13 in 2024. The National Crime Agency says it is increasingly seeing offenders exploit AI technologies to target children in new ways. What's behind...

Annabel Rook dedicated her life to supporting vulnerable women, yet her own life was violently taken by her partner. Annabel co-founded MamaSuze, a creative grassroots arts organisation in North London to enhance the lives of women who have survived violence. Her co-founder, Catherine Milne and Annabel's sister Sophie join Chloe Tilley to discuss Annabel's impact and what people can learn from the...

Joining Nuala McGovern and Anita Rani on stage is Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, host of the BBC Podcast Fame Under Fire, which focuses on celebrity court cases. Anoushka talks to Nuala about how attitudes to women in high profile trials, such as the trial of P Diddy, influence culture. They are in conversation with Dr Kathryn Higgins who has written about misogyny in the media in her book Believabil...

Today the Prime Minister is expected to apologise on behalf of the state for its role in historical forced adoptions. Thousands of unmarried women were pressured into giving up their babies in the 30 years after the Second World War. Krupa Padhy talks to two women who are keenly awaiting this apology - Zara who was adopted, but tracked down her birth mother when she was aged 23 and Susan whose bab...

Before the potential Prime Minister has even taken up office, a draft letter has been written for Andy Burnham asking him to appoint as many women as men in his government. It's from the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and asks for change to address the toxicity and misogyny within the Labour party and government. Political correspondent Nick Eardley discusses the letter and its context with Ch...

As Baroness Amos releases her long-awaited National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation into maternity service failings in England, we discuss her key findings and what happens next. Presenter Nuala McGovern is joined by former MP and maternity campaigner Theo Clarke, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Dr Karen Joash, and Legal Lead for the advocacy charity Birthrights, Laura Mullarkey. We'...

The most prestigious tennis tournament in the world begins today. But Wimbledon has already attracted global attention before the courts even open, with the wildcard return of tennis legend Serena Williams announced earlier this month, and the shock exit of British number one Emma Raducanu due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg. Nuala McGovern is joined by former British number one tennis...

Joanna Cherry was elected as an MP in 2015, part of the SNP landslide when they took 56 out of 59 Scottish seats, just a year after the referendum on Scottish independence resulted in a No vote. Joanna went on to lose her seat in 2024 and has become a vocal critic of the party, and of Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership. She was also well-known for expressing gender-critical views and concerns at a time...

For three decades, the singer-songwriter Beth Orton has remained one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. She’s developed a devoted audience, winning a BRIT Award and Mercury Prize nominations for albums such as Trailer Park and Central Reservation. She has collaborated with artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Andrew Weatherall and Nick Cave, and she’s performed at venues inclu...

More than 500 mothers and babies came to harm or died as a result of inadequate care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. That’s according to Donna Ockenden’s review into the maternity services there. Anita Rani speaks to the Times’ Health Editor Eleanor Hayward, and mothers Sarah Hawkins and Sarah Andrews whose babies, Harriet and Wynter, both died from preventable errors. Sarah Vine’s m...

Why are women’s bodies impacted by heat differently to men’s? What can women do to cool down? Nuala McGovern is joined by GP Dr Amir Khan, Alyx Gorman, lifestyle editor of Guardian Australia, who shares how women are coping with increasingly extreme temperatures, and the practical strategies they’re using to keep safe and comfortable. A new study has found that the majority of IVF add-ons assessed...

One of Northern Ireland's most high-profile politicians Jeffrey Donaldson is now convicted of 18 child sex abuse charges, including one charge of rape. One politician said the victims showed 'jaw dropping courage' in coming forward. We'll hear from the BBC's Tara Mills who has been in court throughout the trial. Since the start of the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the England team have won all th...

Maternity care and its shortcomings will be in the spotlight over the next fortnight, as the biggest maternity inquiry in the history of NHS England prepares to report its findings. The independent review by former midwife, Donna Ockenden, has looked into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Meanwhile new figures from the Royal College of Midwives show that more than ni...

Peptides have become a new buzzword in the wellness industry. Social media influencers have spoken about using them for optimising performance in the gym and improving their appearance, and they’re increasingly popular with women. But some unregulated peptides haven’t been through clinical trials and could be ineffective, or even harmful. Nuala McGovern is joined by BBC Health reporter Ruth Clegg,...

Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day is out today in cinemas. It’s billed as an unromantic-comedy set in the early 20th century and tells the story of young aristocrat Katharine Hilbery, who dreams of studying astronomy at university, but society’s expectation is that she should marry. Anita Rani is joined by Haley Bennett who plays the determined lead character and Anna Snaith, Professor of Twentieth-C...

The latest public version of ChatGPT can be made to generate sexualised images or depict scenes of graphic violence with a simple prompt, researchers have told the BBC. British AI security startup Mindgard figured out how to make ChatGPT create graphic pictures by slightly altering a widely-shared instruction, or prompt, which was originally designed to produce humorous results. To find out more,...

Tomorrow a by-election will be held in the parliamentary seat of Makerfield in Wigan, one of three taking place. Makerfield has found itself at the epicentre of British politics - and the result could decide the next prime minister. We look at what the polls are saying about the way women in the area are saying they will vote and what is impacting that decision. Nuala McGovern is joined by BBC’s p...

It’s been 10 years since Jo Cox, the Labour MP for Batley and Spen, was murdered in broad daylight by a man who lived in her constituency, motivated by far-right extremism. That truly shocking event sparked a national conversation about the safety of our elected representatives, and the civility of our public discourse. During her lifetime, Jo’s philosophy was that “we are far more united and have...

The Prime Minister has announced a social media ban for under-16s to come into force in the early part of next year. The measures are part of the Government's plans to protect young people from harm online and address unhealthy late-night scrolling on phones. BBC reporter Chris Vallance outlines the developments and Nuala McGovern also hears from Professor Victoria Goodyear at the University of Bi...

This week, two debut authors received the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Non-Fiction, each worth £30,000, respectively. Anita Rani spoke to the two winners, novelist Virginia Evans and Lyse Doucet, known to listeners as the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent. The Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup has begun. Nuala McGovern talked to Clare Connor, former England women’s captain, now the outgoing Man...

Last night, two debut authors received the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Non-Fiction, each worth £30,000, respectively. Anita Rani speaks to the two winners, novelist Virginia Evans and Lyse Doucet, known to listeners as the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent. Last week, Hannah Murray, who played Gilly in Game of Thrones, told Anita that during the final season of the show, the papers wrote s...