Woman's Hour

The government has announced an independent inquiry into repeated failings in maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Earlier this year, a BBC investigation revealed that the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers over the past five years at the Trust could perhaps have been avoided. BBC correspondent Divya Talwar joins Nuala McGovern, alongside Lauren Caulfield and Amarjit...

Half of working dads feel nervous asking for time off to care for their children, more than 20% have been asked ‘where’s your wife/partner?’ when requesting flexibility and 44% say employers treat mothers more favourably in terms of flexible working. These are the findings of a new study ‘Barriers to Equal Parenting’ by the charity Working Families. Nuala McGovern is joined by Elliott Rae founder...

Tilda Swinton is one of the UK’s most singular and celebrated performers. Over four decades she has delivered unforgettable and varied screen performances, notably Orlando, The Chronicles of Narnia, Michael Clayton and Asteroid City and collaborated with artists and filmmakers. She joins Anita Rani to talk about a new exhibition in Amsterdam celebrating her work and the enduring relationships that...

A major UK group litigation has been launched against Johnson & Johnson, involving approximately 3,000 claimants who allege they developed cancers due to asbestos-contaminated talc products. The company is accused of negligence and deceit. Johnson & Johnson deny the allegations. The BBC Health reporter, Chloe Hayward, joins Anita Rani to talk about what is known so far. Surrogacy and its i...

Only about 20% of UK tech workers are women. That's from a study by WeAreTechWomen & management consultants Oliver Wyman, which also found between 40,000 and 60,000 women leave the UK’s tech sector every year, costing the economy an estimated £2 to £3.5 billion annually. Across the UK this week, a series of events is taking place celebrating British women in tech and Nuala McGovern talks to Se...

Bobbi Brown is a make-up artist turned entrepreneur who created her now famous eponymous line in 1990. Her fresh-faced approach went against 80s and 90s trends at the time for bright colour and contouring and instead aimed to celebrate and enhance women’s natural beauty. She made millions selling her brand to Estée Lauder and has gone on to create a new multimillion brand. On the release of her me...

Half of working dads feel nervous asking for time off to care for their children, more than 20% have been asked ‘where’s your wife/partner?’ when requesting flexibility and 44% say employers treat mothers more favourably in terms of flexible working. These are the findings of a new study ‘Barriers to Equal Parenting’ by the charity Working Families. Nuala McGovern is joined by Elliott Rae founder...

100m sprinter Bebe Jackson, 19, won a bronze medal on her debut at the IPC World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi, India, last week. Bebe was born with congenital talipes equinovarus, widely known as club foot, and when she’s not competing for Britain, she works nights caring for children with complex disabilities. She tells Anita Rani how she does it. In Sally Wainwright’s new BBC drama Riot...

A court in southern France has increased the jail term of the only man who challenged his conviction for raping Gisèle Pelicot. Gisèle was drugged by her then-husband Dominique for over a decade and raped by dozens of men he recruited on the internet. Of the 51 men convicted of abusing Gisèle, 44-year-old Husamettin Dogan was the only one who appealed against his verdict. Anita Rani speaks to Ange...

NB: The music in this broadcast has been removed from this podcast for rights reasons. In Sally Wainwright’s new BBC drama Riot Women, a group of women in mid-life escape the pressures of caring for parents and kids - and the menopause - by forming a rock band. Rosalie Craig stars as the incredible singer that brings them together. Anita Rani talks to Sally and actor Rosalie about the power of fem...

As Kemi Badenoch prepares to address Conservative Party conference for the second time this week, Nuala McGovern reflects on her first year as leader of the party and Leader of the Opposition, with BBC political correspondent Georgia Roberts and Conservative peer Baroness Kate Fall. The People's Tribunal for Women in Afghanistan is convening in Madrid this week to investigate Taliban crimes agains...

Elon Musk's Artificial Intelligence company xAI recently introduced two sexually explicit chatbots. He's a high-profile presence in a growing field where developers are banking on users interacting and forming intimate relationships with the AI chatbots. Nuala McGovern speaks to journalist Amelia Gentleman, who has just returned from an adult industry conference in Prague, where she saw a sharp ri...

EastEnders actor Kellie Bright took part in a Woman’s Hour special last year which asked whether the SEND system is working for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Tonight Kellie presents a special one-hour BBC Panorama. Drawing on her own experience as the mother of an autistic son, she investigates how parents navigate the complex system to secure the right help at school....

Melinda French Gates is on a crusade to boost research into women's health. She co-founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 which has, to date, donated over $100 billion to charitable projects. Since her divorce from Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, she has left their joint enterprise and set up her own, Pivotal Ventures, which has one purpose: to put power into the hands of wome...

Melinda French Gates is the most well known and powerful woman in philanthropy. The American co-founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 which has to date, donated over $100 billion to charitable projects. Since her divorce from Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, she has left their joint enterprise and set up her own, Pivotal Ventures, which has one purpose: To put power into the h...

Secret filming by the BBC’s Panorama programme last night revealed evidence of racism, misogyny and officers revelling in the use of force at one of London’s busiest police stations. Panorama’s evidence suggests that a toxic culture still exists inside the Met and that racist and misogynistic attitudes haven’t been eliminated but have been driven underground. Anita Rani speaks to Matt Jukes, Deput...

Gloria Allred is one of the best known women’s rights lawyers in the US. She tells Nuala McGovern what has happened to victims' voices amongst the continuous revelations in the press from the Epstein Files. We then hear from bestselling author and leading feminist thinker Rebecca Solnit, who says the released documents are reminders of a culture that decades of feminism have started to dismantle....

World Cup winner and nominee for World Rugby Player of the Year, Meg Jones, joins Nuala McGovern. Following the Red Roses' win at the weekend, many have named Meg their player of the tournament. Meg reflects on the big win and how the death of both of her parents last year powered her on. A ‘carent ’is an adult child who is caring for one or both of their ageing parents, in-laws or elderly relativ...

The Rugby World Cup has been the culmination of a stellar summer of women's sport and a second huge win for an England women's side. And there's lots to celebrate for the other home nations too. The final broke records across the board - it was the most watched women's rugby match ever on UK television and had a record-breaking number of spectators in the stadium too. Nuala McGovern is joined by M...

Journalist Mary McCarthy has been avoiding motorways for years, even planning her life around how to dodge them. She's discovered it’s a far more common problem than you might think, especially among women in mid-life. The multi award-winning singer, songwriter and Global Feminist Activist Annie Lennox OBE has been part of the musical landscape for almost 50 years, from her days in The Tourists, t...

Penny Lancaster is a special constable, TV personality and photographer. She’s also married to rock legend Rod Stewart. Penny talks to Anita Rani about her life so far - from being bullied at school and living with severe dyslexia, to her IVF journey and educating her boys about the menopause. Penny also shares insights into her marriage to Rod and how for the past four years she has served as a S...

More than 100 Labour MPs are calling this morning for the Government to put up gambling taxes to pay for scrapping the two child cap on universal credit. Lifting the cap would cost an estimated £3 billion a year. Chancellor Rachel Reeves already has a £20 to £30 billion deficit to try and balance in the November budget. So, should she do it? Anita Rani talks to Iain Watson, BBC Political Correspon...

There has been a renewed conversation regarding sex after childbirth following a recent episode of the CBeebies Parenting Helpline podcast which tackled the topic of libido in the time after having a baby. It can be a very confusing time when it comes to your relationship with your body, so how do you navigate those ‘blurred lines’ between your roles as mother, partner, and sexual being. Nuala McG...

The multi award-winning singer songwriter Annie Lennox has been part of the musical landscape for almost 50 years, from her days in The Tourists, to the Eurythmics and then going solo. Now at the age of 70, Annie has brought out a book of photographs called Annie Lennox: Retrospective, and talks to Nuala McGovern about her life and career. President Trump has said that pregnant women should avoid...

Journalist Mary McCarthy has been avoiding motorways for years, even planning her life around how to dodge them. She tells Kylie Pentelow how she discovered it’s a far more common problem than you might think, especially among women in mid-life. England are through to the Rugby World Cup final. They face Canada next Saturday but who will we see lift the trophy? Former player Kat Merchant gives her...