Woman's Hour

Dating apps have seen a growing trend towards individuals disclosing that they have a mental health disorder in their online profiles. Jo Hemmings a behavioural psychologist and Beth McColl a lifestyle journalist, tell us how and when to tell someone you are dating that you live with a mental health condition?

We look at the issue of maternal discrimination with Dr Katie Lidster a scientist who has just won £23,000 damages against her employer – a government backed body. She won the case against UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) after an 18-month battle following the arrival of her second child. She tells us about her case alongside Claire Dawson an employment lawyer.

Charlotte Worthington won gold for Team GB in the freestyle BMX event at the Olympics – the first time BMX has ever been represented at the games. She tells us about becoming the first woman to ever successfully land a 360 backflip in a competition.

The journalist and co-chair of the Mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls board Joan Smith tells us how new research appears to show that extremist attackers are often united, whatever their ideology, by a significant history of domestic violence. She wants reports of domestic violence to be taken more seriously so that acts of terrorism can be prevented.

We have music and chat with the singer-songwriter Joy Crookes

And Georgia Pritchett is a multi-award winning comedy and drama writer. She has written for numerous TV shows like The Thick of It, Veep, Succession, Smack the Pony and Have I got News for You. She tells us about collaborating with comedians such as Miranda Hart, Lenny Henry, Ronnie Corbett and Jo Brand, and about her memoir ‘My Mess is a Bit of a Life’.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Joy Crookes was nominated for Rising star at the BRIT awards 2020. Born and raised in Elephant and Castle, London, the daughter of a Bengali mother and an Irish father, she grew up listening to an eclectic mix of genres – everything from Nick Cave, to King Tubby, Kendrick Lamar and Gregory Isaac. She came to the public’s attention at the age of 15 when she uploaded a cover of "Hit the Road Jack" on YouTube, and later performed "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?", on the global music platform, COLORS. She has now released "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" as the lead single from her upcoming debut album, Skin.

We look at the issue of maternal discrimination with Dr Katie Lidster a scientist who has just won £23,000 damages against her employer – a government backed body. She won the case against UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) after an 18-month battle following the arrival of her second child, Daisy, who was born in 2019 ten weeks prematurely. She was offered a role with diminished responsibilities, four days a week, and later told that her old job no longer existed. We talk to Dr Lidster and to Employment lawyer Claire Dawson who specialises in discrimination cases.

The economist Emily Oster is best known here for her books that look at the evidence behind parenting myths. Much of the advice for pregnant women is contradictory and so her books looked at the data behind issues like drinking in pregnancy and risks associated with induction dates. Now she is back with a new book Family Firm which is focussed on primary school years.

‘Hot Girl Summer’ is a term coined by American rapper and music sensation Megan Thee Stallion. You might have seen the phrase across social media, on Instagram captions, Tik Tok hashtags, Facebook statuses, even on clothing, as it's become part of the day-to-day vocabulary for millennial and Gen-Z women across the globe. Megan defined ‘Hot Girl Summer’ as “To be you, just having fun. Turning up, driving the boat and not giving a damn about what nobody’s saying.” But why, two summers later, are people still using the phrase? And what does Hot Girl Summer actually mean? Anita Rani speaks to Shei Mamona, a journalist and the Beauty and Features Assistant at Glamour and Scotty Unfamous, an erotic romance author, blogger and self-described Sexfluencer.

Some mums may take a while to bond with their baby after they're born. This can be for a variety of reasons and is in fact very common among new mothers. Journalist and writer Natasha Lunn decided to write about her experience of not falling in love with her daughter immediately. She joins Andrea along with Dr Karen Bateson, Head of Clinical Strategy and Development from the Parent Infant Foundation, to discuss the reasons why bonding may take a while for some women.

ASMR - or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response - is a relaxing, often sedative sensation that begins on the scalp and moves down the body. It's grown massively in the last few years, particularly during lockdown. What is the appeal behind it, and why do female voices perform particularly well? We hear from Dr Giulia Poerio and ASMR artist Sharon Shares.

In Afghanistan, news reports say that the Taliban are going door-to-door in places, taking girls as young as 12 and marrying them off to militants. With thousands of Afghans fleeing to the capital, Kabul, to escape the Taliban advance, Andrea speaks to Lynne O'Donnell, a war correspondent and columnist for Foreign Policy magazine.

Eimear McBride burst onto the literary stage with her first novel, A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, which won both the Women’s prize for fiction and the Goldsmith’s prize. Two more celebrated novels followed and she has now written her first non fiction book, Something out of Place: Women & Disgust.

Charlotte Worthington won gold for Team GB in the BMX Freestyle event at the Olympics – the first time BMX has ever been represented at the games. Fresh from returning from Tokyo, Charlotte joins Andrea live from UK National Cycling Centre in Manchester.

Presented by Andrea Catherwood

Earlier this year, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female black Asian American Vice President in history. 6 months on, some polling has been interpreted as saying she's the most unpopular Vice President in history. To discuss the recent polling and her work to date we are joined by Sharon D Austin, a professor of Political Science at the University of Florida and Melissa Milewski, a Lecturer in History at the University of Sussex

As the government urges people to return to the office we hear your reactions and consider the impact on women. Boris Johnson has called for a “gradual” return over the summer but there’ve been suggestions that civil servants who want to continue to work from home should lose their London weighting or even part of their salary as they no longer incur travelling costs. For the wider workforce the chancellor and some business leaders are calling for people to taper off home working for the sake of their prospects, the economy as well as their wellbeing . We hear listener reaction to the idea and talk to Wendy Hallett who founded Hallett Retail twenty years ago to create a flexible working environment for herself when her children were young and she now advocates this for her entire staff.

So how’s your camping trip going then? Seemed a good staycation idea at the time, but what about the rain, mud and damp clothes? Have you given up the roaring fire and gone to the pub instead? We want to hear your funny stories. Listener Hannah, was camping in Norfolk last weekend: yes, that's right: when there was wind, rain and thunderstorms.

You might not recognise her name but you will certainly be familiar with her work. Georgia Pritchett is a multi-award winning comedy and drama writer. She has written for numerous TV shows like The Thick of It, Veep, Succession, Smack the Pony and Have I got News for You. She has also collaborated with a huge range of comedians: Miranda Hart, Lenny Henry, Ronnie Corbett and Jo Brand to name just a few. She has now had a book published, My Mess is a bit of a Life: adventures in anxiety which is about her life from childhood through to almost now.

As part of our money series, we’re talking about investing. Why don’t more women invest? Do you consider yourself an investor? Do you know where your pension is invested? Did you even know that your pension was an investment? Selina Flavius is a financial adviser and author of Black Girl Finance: Let’s Talk Money. Maike Currie is an Investment Director for Fidelity International and writes for the Financial Times.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood

Interviewed Guest: Wendy Hallett

Today will mark the first time that there will be a single results day for the whole of the UK with AS and A level, vocational qualifications, Welsh Baccalaureate, and Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers grades all at the same time. Although education is a devolved matter for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, all four nations adopted a system of awarding grades this summer based on teacher based assessment. But what impact will those changes to being evaluated mean to the girls who now make up 56.6% of those going to university? And what about those opting for other further education options or apprenticeships? Andrea Catherwood speaks to Grainne Hallahan, senior analyst at the TES, formally known as the Times Educational Supplement; student, Imogen; and Sue Hannan, the Assistant Principle at Furness College in Barrow where they offer a wide range of A levels, apprenticeships and B Techs.

Many people across England and Wales have been struggling to register the births of their children, their marriages and deaths in their family, leading to disrupted travel plans, problems claiming benefits and a range of other issues. Staff shortages because of the pandemic have massively impacted waiting times for appointments. A computer failure on the 5th July is said to have also contributed to delays - although the Home Office says these technical issues "were rectified by 8th July and disruption was kept to a minimum." Andrea hears from Laura Mogford who has been trying to register her son, Arthur, who was born on the 1st of May, and Baroness Wheatcroft.

Dating apps have seen a growing trend towards individuals disclosing that they have a mental health disorder in their online profiles. When and how is the best time to tell someone you are dating that you live with a mental health condition? Andrea discusses this with behavioural psychologist and relationship coach Jo Hemmings, and Beth McColl who writes openly about mental health.

Forty three employment tribunals have mentioned menopause in the last five years and while ‘Menopause’ was mentioned eight times in tribunal rulings in 2017, it has featured much more in the first six months of 2021, that's the analysis of HM Courts & Tribunal service records by the Menopause Experts Group. Although these numbers are small, other research in 2019 found that nearly 1 million women are said to have left their job as a result of menopausal symptoms. And just last month the Women and Equalities Committee launched a new inquiry looking into legislation and workplace practices and whether enough is being done to address the menopause in the workplace. Andrea speaks to 'Sarah' who was dismissed from her job as a social worker, Dr Ella Russell GP who is known as the Yorkshire menopause doctor; and Adam Pavey, Employment lawyer & Director of Employment & HR at Pannone Corporate.

Presented by Andrea Catherwood

It's a year today since the disputed elections in Belarus. They sparked unrest because the election was widely believed to have been rigged in favour of Alexander Lukashenko, who's held power since 1994. Three women joined forces to challenge Alexander Lukashenko. One of the woman - Maria Kolesnikova - is now in prison and facing trial. Maria’s sister, Tatyana, speaks to Emma on the anniversary of the election.

New research appears to show that extremist attackers are often united, whatever their ideology, by a significant history of domestic violence whether as perpetrators or victims. Joan Smith is an author, journalist and the co-chair of the mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls board. In the last year she has been part of Project Starlight, a government-led investigation to further understand the motivations of those who behave in this way.

Have you adopted a special pose for photos to make all your pictures instantly Instagram ready? Do you do a flamingo, a street star or a coy pose? Emma is joined by Michaela Efford, a fashion influencer photographer, to tell us what it takes to make influencers look effortlessly cool and how you can do the same.

Anna Whitehouse was one of the first parenting influencers. Called Mother Pukka, she had hundreds of thousands of followers looking at her pictures and comments on family life. But in her new book Underbelly – she explores the darker sides of social media and admits she shared aspects of her personal life that she wished she hadn’t.

Presented by Emma Barnett

Will the young women smashing it at the Olympics in the new urban sports of BMX freestyling, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing inspire a new generation of girls to follow in their footsteps? Skateboarder Hannah Shrewsbury and BMX freestyler Kayley Ashworth discuss.

Women trash-talking men has gone too far: that's what the journalist James Innes Smith believes. He shares his viewpoint with Fiona Sturges, from the Financial Times and the Guardian, who doesn't agree.

Trumpeter, band leader, singer, multi instrumentalist jazz queen. Emma-Jean Thackray on her debut album Yellow, which is number one on the Jazz & Blues Chart.

The reality dating show Love Island features for the first time a contestant with a disability Joy Addo, who has a podcast where she talks about her life as a visually impaired, single mum, and Kelly Gordon, the Disability and Inclusion Lead at sex toy company Hot Octopuss, discuss the realities of dating with a disability.

The shift to mask wearing and homeworking saw many of us ditch our make-up during the pandemic. Perhaps not the best time to launch a new beauty business – but that’s what Bobbi Brown has done.

Phantom of the Opera was first performed 35 years ago in London’s West End. It has just reopened and Lucy St Louis is playing the female lead – Christine Daae, the first Black woman to play this role.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Anita Rani talks to Emma-Jean Thackray about her debut album Yellow, which has debuted at number one on the Jazz & Blues Chart.

Will the young women smashing it at the Olympics in the new urban sports of BMX freestyling, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing inspire a new generation of girls to follow in their footsteps? We talk to skateboarder Hannah Shrewsbury and BMX freestyler Kayley Ashworth.

Cricket legend Baroness Rachel Heyhoe-Flint is to be honoured with a gate named in her memory at Lords and we hear reaction from her son Ben Heyhoe-Flint.

A drug that has been used to treat critically ill patients suffering from Covid may also help women who struggle with heavy periods. A small trial, in development long before the pandemic, has found that the steroid Dexamethasone, a cheap anti-inflammatory drug, could help reduce heavy menstrual bleeding. We hear from Dr Pamela Warner, the lead author of the research.

Sex worker Charlotte Edwards explains how she applied via her bank for the government’s Bounce Back Loan, which is available to small business and the self-employed but she was initially declined due to her occupation. The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation, although profession is not currently a ‘protected characteristic’. We explore the implications of financial exclusion for sex workers with Charlotte and to Niki Adams of the English Collective of Prostitutes.

And we hear from the American disability rights activist Judith Heumann. Paralysed from polio at eighteen months, she has campaigned tirelessly for decades in the Disability Rights Movement, both at home and abroad.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Photograph by Joe Magowan

Bette Davis was one of the biggest names in Hollywood, nominated for ten Oscars and her extraordinary career spanned almost sixty years. An outspoken and dedicated actress, she created some of the most compelling characters in cinema history. As the BFI launches a whole season dedicated to her this month, we hear about her life and legacy.

The new NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard has urged people aged 18-30 to come forward and be vaccinated. 3 million under 30s have yet to be jabbed, and one in five people currently in hospital in England with Covid are in the 18-30 category. Professor Susan Michie tells us what can be done to address young adults concerns.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's political career hangs in the balance, as the pressure for him to resign mounts. He's been accused of sexual misconduct by 11 women and an independent report corroborates the stories. If he goes, the first female New York Governor is likely to be elected. Cuomo denies the allegations and has shown no willingness stand down over them. Stephanie Stark worked in his office, and has separately done research on how sexual harassment accusations impacts voters. Steven Erlanger is from the New York Times.

Love Island is one of the biggest reality TV shows in the UK. And this season, one contestant has become the first disabled person to feature on the programme. Emma speaks to Joy Addo, who has a podcast where she talks about her life as a blind, single mum, and Kelly Gordon, the Disability and Inclusion Lead at sex toy company Hot Octopuss, to discuss the realities of dating with a disability.

Presenter: Emma Barnett

The shift to mask wearing and homeworking saw many of us ditch our make-up during the pandemic. Perhaps not the best time to launch a new beauty business – but that’s what Bobbi Brown has done. She talks to Emma Barnett about her new beauty range and her career in the industry.

Phantom of the Opera was first performed 35 years ago in London’s West End. It’s the second longest-running musical here, the longest running show in Broadway history and has been performed worldwide and seen by more than an estimated 130 million people in 145 cities across 27 countries. It has just reopened and Lucy St Louis is playing the female lead – Christine Daee, the first Black woman to play this role.

From George Eliot to JK Rowling, it is no secret that there is an assumption some men are put off by reading works written by women. But with figures showing men are four times as likely to pick up books written by other men than women, whereas women are just as likely to read books by men as they are by women, what is going wrong? And, does this affect other areas of writing? We talk to Andrew Billen a columnist with the Times, and to the author Mary Ann Sieghart .

And we kick off a new series about Women and Money with two financial experts Catherine Morgan, the host of the In Her Financial Shoes podcast and Julie Flynn who's a financial adviser specialising in working with women who have lost their partner. We’ll focus on financial secrets - Do you have money secrets that make you anxious? That you can’t face and make you want to dive under the duvet? If so, we want to hear from you.

Presenter: Emma Barnett