Earlier this year, on International Women's Day, the Irish electorate was asked to vote in two referendums on changing Ireland's constitution regarding family and care.  One of those questions was whether they wished to remove a reference to the role of women in the home, which some view as being out-of-step with modern Irish society.  A lot has changed since the constitution was written in 1937. Ireland is now among the highest-ranking countries in Europe for gender equality. However, in both referendums, voters rejected the bid for constitutional change.  In this programme, Leanna Byrne travels back to her home city of Dublin to explore Ireland's story when it comes to women, the family and work; speaking to Irish women about their experiences over the decades to now.  (Image: From left to right Niamh O'Reilly, Lorraine Lally and Rena Maycock, who spoke to the BBC World Service in Dublin in March 2024.)  Presented and produced by Leanna Byrne

Where is 'a woman's place' in Ireland today?

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Meet Sharvari, Belinda and Brenna, three female bike mechanics from different corners of the world. From setting up a female run workshop in India, teaching skills to other women, or working within elite sport: these three are all making a living in the male dominated world of bike mechanics. Hear their stories and find out what happened when we got them all talking to each other. Presenter/producer: Lexy O'Connor (Photo: Bicycle mechanic Belinda Everett, Credit: Ryan Goff, #rygoff)

Meet the trailblazers: The female bike mechanics

Over its long history women have been mostly excluded from the Tour de France. Until recently. In 2022, after a long campaign by some of female cycling's biggest names, the Tour de France Femmes was introduced. So how is it doing? And will it ever be on a level footing with the much older and long-established men's race? We hear from competitors, sponsors, broadcasters and race director Marion Rousse. Produced and presented by Lexy O'Connor (Team Jumbo Visma rider Marianne Vos wears the yellow jersey during 3rd stage of the first Tour de France Femmes in 2022: Getty Images)

Can the Tour de France Femmes deliver?

The 'pink pound' or 'pink dollar' is believed to be worth billions of dollars, and tourism is one sector looking to benefit. We find out how the industry is trying to attract LGBT travellers, with countries like Nepal taking steps to be a more appealing destination.  Plus, we head to the coastal town of Sitges in Spain, where gay people have been holidaying for more than 100 years. Producer/presenter: Daniel Rosney (Photo: The Nomadic Boys in New Zealand. Credit: The Nomadic Boys)

Tourism cashing in on the ‘pink dollar’

Ireland has just launched a scheme to charge a deposit on bottles and cans which is refunded when consumers return them to recycling machines in supermarkets.  The Irish have set up a non profit making company to manage the scheme, funded by the drinks making firms, which should avoid the financial problems that have dogged the industry in the United States.  Many privately owned American recycling companies are in danger of going out of business because the fee they get from state governments, under the Bottle Bill, has not been increased for years, even though their costs have soared. Produced and presented by Russell Padmore (Picture: Reverse vending machines for Ireland’s new deposit return recycling scheme)

How can recycling be profitable?

We speak to the Armenian entrepreneur behind the popular photo editing app used by millions on Instagram, and by businesses too.  Mr Avoyan tells us about his childhood, growing up in a country which only gained independence when he was in his 20s. He tells us how this liberation set free his entrepreneurial spirit, and why he relocated his company from Armenia to the US. Produced and presented by Dougal Shaw (Image: Hovhannes Avoyan)

Where is 'a woman's place' in Ireland today?

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