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BBC Radio 4

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

Listen to our new series of conversations, The Woman's Hour Guide to Life, on BBC Sounds - your toolkit for the juggle, struggle and everything in between: www.bbc.co.uk/guidetolife

Woman's Hour

Today the Government sets out its strategy to deal with violence against women and girls. This makes up nearly 20% of all recorded crime in England and Wales. Over the last year alone, one in every eight women was a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking, according to Home Office figures. Educating boys on misogyny is a key aim of today’s strategy and figures show that nearly one in five boys aged 13 to 15 are said to hold a positive view of the self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, according to a YouGov poll. Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, joins Anita Rani to discuss the Government's strategy.

With the long, cold and dark evenings, now feels like the perfect time to curl up indoors and get lost in a book. Well, if you’re looking for something cosy to read over Christmas, look no further than Jenny Colgan. Her books have been Sunday Times & New York Times bestsellers, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide. Jenny tells Anita about her latest novel, The Secret Christmas Library, set in the snowy landscape of the Scottish Highlands.

In England almost two thirds of people are considered obese or overweight. An estimated 1.5 million people in the UK, are using weight-loss injections, or GLP1s. But what happens when you decide to stop, or have no choice but to come off them? A BBC News documentary on iPlayer, What Happens When, asks just that. To find out more Anita is joined by Dr Emma Anders who, after a short break, has decided to continue using weight loss jabs, and the GP, Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi. 

Amara Okereke has been taking the musical theatre world by storm, with roles including Cosette in Les Misérables and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. She’s currently singing and dancing across the stage as American model Dale Tremont, in the Irving Berlin’s 1930s musical Top Hat at London’s Southbank Centre. She tells Anita about the role and her love of musical theatre.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Andrea Kidd

Violence against women and girls, Jenny Colgan, Weight loss jabs

A man believed to be the UK’s most prolific romance fraudster, who conned a number of women into giving him almost a million pounds, has been jailed for seventeen years - the longest sentence ever handed down for romance fraud in the UK. Anna Rowe, founder of Catch the Catfish and a former victim of romance fraud joins Nuala.

It’s 50 years this month since the Sex Discrimination Act was passed - a cause and campaign which united women across classes and generations. Historian Dr Lyndsey Jenkins tells us about the struggle to make it law, and the impact it had on women’s lives.

This morning we reveal that the Home Office is planning to expand a pilot scheme where domestic abuse specialists are embedded in police 999 control rooms to advise officers handling calls. They listen in, provide feedback, run training sessions for call handlers and ensure victims are pointed to support services. This pilot was introduced earlier this year under "Raneem's law" after Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem were murdered by Raneem's ex partner. Raneem had called West Midlands police 14 times to report concerns about her safety. Her aunt Nour Norris has campaigned for this change and joins Nuala in the studio.

We celebrate the phenomenon of female tribute acts to male bands. Gobby Holder, aka Danie Cox of Slady and Lolo Wood of The Fallen Women and Ye Nuns tell us how their audiences have grown.

Romance fraud, the Sex Discrimination Act, Slady tribute band at Christmas

Woman’s Hour celebrates the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Nuala McGovern delves into the world that Jane was born into in 1775 to explore why her writing has such a following around the world and still feels so relevant to women today. She is joined by the author Gill Hornby, President of the UK Jane Austen Society, and by Dr Zoe McGee whose book Courting Disaster explores the issue of consent in Regency literature, to discuss the life, the novels and the extraordinary characters that have made Jane such an enduring figure.

They are joined by Rachel Parris whose new novel Introducing Mrs Collins extends the story of Charlotte Lucas, the character in Pride and Prejudice who does what Lizzie Bennet simply couldn't do and accepts the marriage proposal Mr Collins. As well as being an author, Rachel is a comedian, actor and presenter, not to mention a founding member of Austentatious, a hugely successful live show which improvises a new Jane Austen novel in every performance.

Jane Austen’s novels have been translated into almost every major language and there are societies of Austen lovers and scholars in every corner of the globe, from Australia to Argentina and Iran to Italy. Joining us to tell us why Austen still captivates readers in their parts of the world are Laaleen Sukhera, founder of the Jane Austen Society of Pakistan and the founding member of the Austen Society of Japan and researcher at the University of Southampton, Dr. Hatsuyo Shimazaki.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Laura Northedge

Why is Jane Austen still so relevant to women today?

The Government is set to unveil its long-awaited Violence Against Women and Girls strategy later this week. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has described violence against women and girls as a 'national emergency'. Some early releases of what will be in the strategy have been reported in the press over the weekend, including establishing specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams in every police force across England and Wales by 2029. Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, and Harriet Wistrich, founder and Director of the Centre for Women's Justice, join Nuala McGovern to talk about what we know so far. 

According to a survey in lots of the papers today, nearly half of younger women surveyed said they are confident in painting and decorating, compared to just 28% of young men. The stats are from the motoring and cycling firm Halfords who said its study revealed a reversal from previous generations. Vickie Lee, DIY YouTuber known online as The Carpenter's Daughter, joins us, alongside Caroline Henn, founder of bePractical DIY in Bristol, who runs courses aimed at making DIY accessible. 

Food is a ‘form of conversation between people, between generations of the same family, or between members of local and global communities’, says Alissa Timoshkina, a food writer and historian, whose family has a Ukrainian-Jewish lineage. At the start of Hanukkah, Alissa - author of new recipe book Kapusta - joins Nuala to talk about why she believes food is the language of unity.

The Midlothian singer-songwriter Brooke Combe first came to prominence with her singalong, handclapping debut single, Are You With Me? Her early cover songs found mass appeal, particularly her rendition of Baccara’s Yes Sir, I Can Boogie, the Scotland international football team’s anthem in summer 2021. She has performed at Glastonbury and opened for Benson Boone on his American Heart World Tour. She joins Nuala to discuss her music and debut album, Dancing at the Edge of the World.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Simon Richardson

Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, Hanukkah food traditions, DIY

Baroness Amos, who was appointed by the Health Secretary to lead an independent rapid investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care in England, has said nothing prepared her for the scale of 'unacceptable care' that women and families have received. Presenter Krupa Padhy is joined by the BBC’s Social Affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan and Theo Clarke, former Conservative MP who also chaired the UK Birth Trauma Inquiry and hosts the podcast, Breaking the Taboo, to discuss the review and what comes next.

Wages for housework was a feminist mantra in the West in the 1970s – feminist campaigners arguing for recognition of the economic value of domestic labour. The debate has been revived in India over the last decade with an estimated 118 million women across 12 states now receiving unconditional cash transfers from their governments. Devina Gupta, a reporter based in Delhi, and Professor Prabha Kotiswaran from King’s College in London unpick the impact of ‘wages for housework’ on women’s lives and the Indian economy.

When Kaitlin Lawrence was just 22 years old, she collapsed whilst playing netball for the then Super League side Surrey Storm. She was eventually diagnosed with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), a genetic condition she never knew she had. Following this, she was forced to give up her dream of playing professionally for Scotland and has gone on to successfully campaign to get cardiac screening introduced in the Netball Super League next season. She tells Anita her story. They were joined by Presenter Gabby Logan, whose younger brother died suddenly at the age of 15 years old from an undiagnosed heart condition. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

A new report highlights the crucial role of strength training and exercise for people on weight loss drugs. Data gathered by fitness professionals, Les Mills and the not-for-profit industry body, ukactive, shows the impact of weight loss drugs on skeletal muscle mass. Their report says that 20-50% of weight loss is lean body mass, which poses significant health risks such as frailty, disability, reduced metabolism, and increased mortality. Physiotherapist Lucy McDonald and Dr Sarah Jarvis join Krupa to discuss the importance of strength training to mitigate muscle loss.

Presenter: Anita Rani 
Producer: Dianne McGregor

Weekend Woman's Hour: Maternity care review, Weight loss drugs and exercise, Wages for housework

The Government has announced a £3 billion investment to create around 50,000 new specialised places for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The aim is to speed up support for families and improve provision in both mainstream schools and bespoke facilities. To discuss what that means in practice, Anita Rani is joined by the BBC's Education Correspondent Vanessa Clarke and Sharon Smith, co-director of Special Needs Jungle, a parent-led UK website and resource hub providing news, information, and advocacy for families with children with special educational needs.

One of the unexpected stars of this year's Celebrity Race Across The World has been Anita's Dad, Bal, with many people commenting on their touching father/ daughter relationship. Since reaching the finish line, he's now discovered his wanderlust and Anita catches up with him on a Christmas cruise to look back at their time travelling together. 

The Government’s long-delayed strategy to tackle violence against women and girls is set to be unveiled next week. According to the Movember Foundation, two-thirds of young men regularly engage with masculinity influencers online. A new campaign, Same Side, launched today by UN Women UK, is aiming to counter that with the help of some leading sports stars. One is the former Manchester City and QPR defender Nedum Onuoha. He joins Anita along with Tabitha Morton, Executive Director of UN Women UK.

Have you already overindulged at a few parties? Could you imagine getting though the festive season without booze? Well Laura Antonia Jordan hasn't had a drink, or even a mildly tipsy Christmas, for 10 years now. A journalist, she's written about navigating the festive season completely sober after years of living by, as she calls it 'the doctrine of hedonism'. She tells Anita why the cultural pressure can be tough, but dry December does not have to be boring.

Boudoir photography, stripping down into lingerie and posing for a photographer may sound like something from the world of supermodels and glossy magazines, but there are lots of women from all walks of life who are choosing to pay for professional intimate photos, as gifts for partners, or just to feel good about themselves. 
Joining Anita to discuss this increasingly popular world are boudoir photographer Laura Slater and Joley Gordon, who booked herself a session two years ago and has never looked back. 

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Andrea Kidd

SEND, Race Across the World, Toxic masculinity

Venezuelan politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado was met with cheers on a hotel balcony in Norway in the middle of the night this week. It was the first time that she has been seen in public since January, after being forced into hiding. She also gave an exclusive interview to BBC News and spoke about the significance of this moment. So who is Maria Corina Machado? To find out, Anita Rani was joined by Norberto Paredes who is a journalist with BBC Mundo, the BBC's news service for the Spanish speaking world.

When Kaitlin Lawrence was just 22 years old, she collapsed whilst playing netball for the then Super League side Surrey Storm. She was eventually diagnosed with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), a genetic condition she never knew she had. Following this she was forced to give up her dream of playing professionally for Scotland and has gone on to successfully campaign to get cardiac screening introduced in the Netball Super League next season. She tells Anita her story.

As 2025 draws to a close, it’s clear this has been a landmark year for women’s sport. From the UEFA Women’s Euros to the Rugby World Cup, record-breaking attendances and soaring TV audiences have put female athletes firmly in the global spotlight. One person who’s been at the heart of that story is Gabby Logan. Part of the all-female presenting team for BBC Sports Personality of the Year - returning next week - Gabby has also had a standout year herself, stepping into one of football’s most iconic roles as a new presenter on Match of the Day. She joins Anita live.

Yesterday, we heard the very sad news about author Sophie Kinsella, who has died at the age of 55. Her real name was Madeleine Wickham and she wrote more than 30 books for adults, children and teenagers, which sold more than 50 million copies in more than 60 countries - they have been translated into more than 40 languages. She joined Nuala in October 2024, when she spoke about her last novel, What does it feel like? She described how her personal experience had heavily influenced the novel: the protagonist had brain cancer, a hugely supportive husband and five children, exactly like Sophie. You can listen to Sophie's final Woman's Hour interview on BBC Sounds - it's the episode from 8 October 2024. 

A new BBC report looks into the uses of AI in schools, from generating lesson plans to marking and even deepfake teachers. Anita speaks to BBC Education reporter Hayley Clarke about what she found and how it could help with the pressures that teachers are under, plus we hear from CEO of the Great Schools Trust Shane Ierston about the ways they've been putting AI tools to use in the classroom.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones

Maria Corina Machado, Netball cardiac screening, Gabby Logan, AI teachers

John Smyth is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser associated with the Church of England. In 2024, an independent review carried out by Keith Makin found that Smyth abused 30 boys and young men in the UK, and around 85 in Zimbabwe and South Africa. A new Channel 4 documentary, See No Evil, reveals the scale of Smyth's abuse and features testimony from victims and survivors, the journalists who uncovered the story, and from Smyth's family. Fiona Rugg, John Smyth's daughter, is part of the documentary and joins Nuala in the studio. Woman's Hour also hears from Madeleine Davies, Senior Writer at the Church Times, who has followed this story closely.

As the government announces plans to spend £500m on youth services in England, what is the state of youth work today? Nuala is joined by Abbee McLatchie, Deputy CEO of the National Youth Agency, who has been working in and around youth services for 25 years, and Letitia Simms, a youth worker for the charity Cranstoun in the Routes youth advisory hub in Dudley in the West Midlands.

Wages for housework was a feminist mantra in the West in the 1970s – feminist campaigners arguing for recognition of the economic value of domestic labour. The debate has been revived in India over the last decade with an estimated 118 million women across 12 states now receiving unconditional cash transfers from their governments. Devina Gupta, a reporter based in Delhi, and Professor Prabha Kotiswaran from King’s College in London unpick the impact of ‘wages for housework’ on women’s lives and the Indian economy.

Abuse in the Church, Wages for housework, Youth work today

Baroness Amos, who was appointed by the Health Secretary to lead an independent rapid investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care in England, has said nothing prepared her for the scale of "unacceptable care" that women and families have received. Presenter Krupa Padhy is joined by the BBC’s Social Affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan and Theo Clarke, former Conservative MP who also chaired the UK Birth Trauma Inquiry and hosts the podcast, Breaking the Taboo, to discuss those initial reflections and what comes next. 
 
We examine a new report which highlights the crucial role of strength training and exercise for people on weight loss drugs. Data gathered by fitness professionals, Les Mills and the not-for-profit industry body, ukactive, shows the impact of weight loss drugs on skeletal muscle mass. Their report says that 20-50% of weight loss is lean body mass, which poses significant health risks such as frailty, disability, reduced metabolism, and increased mortality. Physiotherapist Lucy McDonald and Dr Sarah Jarvis join Krupa to discuss the importance of strength training to mitigate muscle loss.
 
Yesterday, nurse Sandie Peggie, who objected to sharing a female changing room with a transgender doctor, won part of her employment tribunal against NHS Fife. She was suspended from her job after she confronted Dr Beth Upton in 2023. The tribunal ruled she was harassed by NHS Fife but other allegations of discrimination and victimisation were dismissed. We hear more from Lorna Gordon, the BBC's Scotland Correspondent, who has been following the case. 
 
From Kate Garraway’s iconic jumper on The Celebrity Traitors to Lily Allen’s album launch dress, bows are everywhere right now. But are they practical or a deliberate gesture of femininity? And why have we seen this resurgence of bows in fashion? The Guardian’s fashion and lifestyle editor Morwenna Ferrier and Dr Sarah Grant from the V&A join Krupa to discuss the history and sudden popularity of bows. 
 
Presented by: Krupa Padhy
Produced by: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Maternity care review, Weight training and weight loss drugs, Bows in fashion

Have you heard of Freebirthing? It’s giving birth without any medical help or intervention. A new podcast by The Guardian has investigated an American organisation – the Free Birth Society or FBS – a multimillion-dollar business which professionals claim promotes some dangerous views. Nuala McGovern is joined by Sirin Kale who undertook the investigation along with her colleague Lucy Osbourne. Dr Claire Feeley, midwife and senior lecturer at Kings College London who has done research into freebirthing, discusses the free birth picture here in the UK.

Today marks a year since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. For more than half a century the Assad family ruled Syria with an iron fist and when it came to an end after 13 years of war, many women hoped for a new era. So what's the situation for women in the country 12 months on? We hear from Lina Sinjab, the BBC's Middle East correspondent, who is Syrian and currently in Aleppo.

As part of Radio 4’s annual Christmas Appeal, we hear from NHS Clinical psychologist Sarah Phillips and former Rowan Alba supported-accommodation resident Elvira about how a revolutionary in-house psychologist team is helping homeless women in supported housing in Edinburgh and why they think this model should be rolled out across the UK.

Sarah Mughal Rana is a #BookTok personality and the co-host of On the Write Track podcast. Her debut novel - Dawn of the Firebird -has just been published. It’s an epic, action-packed fantasy story, embracing rich Islamic culture. Sarah joins Nuala to discuss the main protagonist, the discarded daughter of an emperor, who is described as: Daughter, Assassin, Traitor, Saviour. 

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Freebirthing, Author Sarah Mughal Rana, Syria: One year on

The law on flexible working changed this week. New rules should make it easier for employees to argue for a flexible working arrangement. It’s the culmination of years of hard work and campaigning for more family friendly workplaces. Anita speaks to the Minister for Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake, and Amy Butterworth from the flexible working consultancy Timewise.

Dr Gladys McGarey, cofounder of the American Holistic Medical Association, began her medical practice at a time when women couldn't even own their own bank accounts. She’s now 102 years old and still practicing as a doctor. She started medical school just before the Second World War, married a fellow doctor, Bill and together they practised medicine and had six children. Dr Gladys joins Nuala to talk about her new book, The Well-Lived Life.

The mother whose daughters were murdered, and their photographs then shared on a police WhatsApp group, speaks to Nuala from the launch of a new organisation designed to help stamp out misogyny, sexism and racism in the police. Mina Smallman has become an activist since the death of her daughters in 2020, and she wants to see change. 

The Irish singer-songwriter Roisin Murphy first rose to fame in the 90s as one half of the electronic pop duo Moloko. She has gone on to have a successful solo career and has a new album out soon. She joins Anita live in the studio to talk about her music and creating this latest album.

As the film Barbie opens in cinemas today, Set Decorator Katie Spencer and Production Designer Sarah Greenwood discuss how they created Barbieland in a real life space, the invasion of everything pink, and how they approached the film having never played with Barbies themselves.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Lottie Garton

Mina Smallman, Flexible working laws, Dr Gladys McGarey, Barbie set design and The Wizard of Oz

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