Woman's Hour

Samantha Cameron spent six years at number 10 Downing Street with her husband David in the glare of the media spotlights. She was there through the tumultuous years of the Scottish and EU referendums - issues which still rage today - witnessing some of the biggest political changes for generations. She was the youngest first lady for 50 years, juggling family life and a new baby with a high pressure job. She is credited with modernising the upmarket stationers Smythson and has now set up her own clothing brand Cefin. She talks to Emma about life at number 10, family, fashion and business.

Rape victims at the heart of a landmark court case say they have been failed by the Crown Prosecution Service. A judicial review lodged against the CPS by the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) and End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition is being heard in the Court of Appeal this week. They say that a change in tactic has led to a more cautious approach and a subsequent collapse in rape prosecutions. To discuss the issues Emma is joined by Harriet Wistrich, Director of the CWJ.

Former rugby World Cup player Rachael Burford talks about setting up the Girls Rugby Club to give the game an international boost.

Presented by Emma Barnett

Men don't talk about fertility and society largely views fertility as a woman's issue despite the fact that men are said to be a factor in around half of all fertility issues between couples. That's the view of the stand up comedian Rhod Gilbert who is raising awareness of the issue and wants men to open up and be part of the conversation. He's made a BBC documentary 'Stand up to Infertility' where he shares his own struggles to conceive with his wife Sian. Stand Up to Fertiliy is streaming now on BBC iPlayer and on BBC Two on Sunday 31st January at 10.00pm.

A new study indicates teenage girls experience a sharper decline in well-being and self-esteem compared with boys due to “heavy social media use". It has also suggested that the pandemic might be making it worse. The report - by the think tank, the Education Policy Institute, and the Prince's Trust - calls on the government to act quickly to improve mental health support for schools in England. Emma is joined by Whitney Crenna-Jennings , the author of the report, and Matt Haig - the author and mental health campaigner who decided to leave twitter earlier this week - where he had nearly half a million followers.

Today is International Holocaust Memorial Day where we remember the millions of people murdered by the Nazi regime. For decades, survivors have spoken about their experiences in the hope that nothing of its kind will ever be repeated. But when the last survivors are gone, who will tell their stories? And how do we talk to children about such harrowing events? Children’s author, Liz Kessler has written fictional a novel called When The World Was Ours that was inspired by the true story of her father’s escape from Czechoslovakia. Noemie Lopian is the daughter of Holocaust survivors Ernst Israel and Renee Bornstein. Ernest wrote The Long Night about his time in 7 different concentration camps and several death marches. They join Emma to discuss why it’s so important to talk to children about the Holocaust and the parallels between now and then.

Women and Gambling.

Pauline and Derek Tremain are a couple who work together, running a small business from home in Kent. It's not your run of the mill business however, they provide a very specialist service called 'body mapping' to police forces up and down the country, painstakingly recreating murder injuries with 3D imaging for juries to look at. They talk to Emma about their memoir How to Solve a Murder - True Stories from a Life in Forensic Medicine.

Elaine Paige is an award-winning star of the West End and Broadway. . What, you may ask, would such a woman have to worry about?

Wendy Simon found herself unexpectedly running a city from her living room in December, as Interim Mayor of Liverpool. She explain how she took the reins in such a challenging time.

Presenter Emma Barnett

Internationally-renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall discusses the tragedy of lost nature and the positive action needed to combat climate change.

Does it matter if female cabinet ministers are missing from flagship political programmes and TV briefings? Emma speaks to former Government minister Anna Soubry, and later in the programme to Therese Coffey MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

In the new episode of Grounded with Louis Theroux, musician FKA Twigs says she was coercively controlled. What can you do if you find yourself in a psychologically abusive relationship?

IMAGE CREDIT: Bill Wallauer

Clemency Burton-Hill gives her first broadcast interview to Emma Barnett since she suffered a brain haemorrhage a year ago. She talks about how music has helped her ongoing recovery, and how she has learnt to speak again.

Sindiso Khumalo & Dr Christine Checinska on the V&A museum's African fashion exhibition,

Plus Katie Price on her son Harvey who was born with Septo-optic Dysplasia, a rare disorder that affects brain function. Her family have lived their lives in the public eye for more than 15 years - and now in a new BBC One documentary, we see her having to make tough decisions about his future as he turns 18.

There’s been a surge in calls to domestic abuse services in the pandemic as couples spend more time at home together - the majority of calls coming from women. For many victims and survivors, work is usually a place of respite. We hear from Business Minister Paul Scully who's written to employers urging them to be a bridge between their workers, spot domestic abuse and offer the support they need.

And the lives of Irish women in the US in 19th and why they were called Bad Bridgets

Presenter Anita Rani

Women trying to escape domestic violence can spend months on end in a refuge or in unsuitable temporary accommodation due to lack of suitable housing. The Local Government Ombudsman has just published a highly critical report about how the London Borough of Wandsworth spectacularly failed one victim of domestic abuse. We hear from ombudsman investigator Cameron Black, women in this situation. And we ask Lucy Hadley from Women’s Aid whether the forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill will resolve some of these problems.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Katie Price and her family have lived their lives in the public eye for more than 15 years - and now in a new BBC One documentary, she's having to make tough decisions about her son Harvey's future. Born with Septo-optic Dysplasia, a rare disorder that affects brain function, hormones and vision, Harvey is moving onto the next stage of his development as he turns 18. Katie joins Emma to discuss.

Senior judges in the Family Courts were heavily criticised last year for outdated views on allegations of marital rape in family court proceedings. This week the Court of Appeal is holding a legal review into the Family Courts’ approach to domestic abuse and sexual violence for the first time is 20 years. Barrister, Dr Charlotte Proudman explains why this review is both important and necessary, and why it may prompt cases being overturned.

It's been reported that the former First Lady Melania Trump did not write her own thank you letters to her White House staff. The goodbye letters were allegedly written by an aide. Around 80 White House staffers received a typed note from the outgoing First Lady, and were under the impression she wrote them herself. But two sources familiar with the letters claimed Mrs Trump outsourced the work to a lower-level East Wing staffer. Comedian and writer, Katy Brand reveals where she stands on thank you letters.

Christina McAnea is the new leader of the UK's largest trade union UNISON, also the fastest growing in Europe. Representing 1.4 million public sector workers - around 80% of which are women - we ask what's top of her in-tray when she starts in the job tomorrow?

Presenter: Emma Barnett

Interviewed Guest: Katie Price

Emma Barnett with Clemency Burton-Hill's first interview since she suffered a brain haemorrhage a year ago today. She talks about how music has helped her ongoing recovery, and how she has learnt to speak again. Sindiso Khumalo & Dr Christine Checinska on the V&A museum's African fashion exhibition, the new interim mayor of Liverpool Wendy Simon talks about being thrust into the role last month as Covid 19 cases were rising exponentially and as Joe Biden assumes the US Presidency we hear from Sarah Elliot from Republicans Overseas UK and Joan Walsh, the National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation and a CNN political contributor.

Presenter: Emma Barnett

Some top British ballerinas have become new mums during lock-down. In fact, there are so many in the Royal Ballet that they've created a Whatsapp group. We know that being a ballet dancer is competitive and careers can be short, so has lock-down given the chance to get pregnant? Lauren Cuthbertson, is principal of The Royal Ballet and had her baby a few weeks ago, and Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani, first artist of The Royal Ballet, is due in April.

There’s been a surge in calls to domestic abuse services. As so many of us are working from home at the moment the Business Minister has written to employers urging them to be a be supportive as they can be, and that means helping victims of abuse in the home. We hear from Paul Scully.

When it comes to the Covid vaccine, research from the University of Glasgow indicates that BAME communities are much less likely to get the vaccine if or when it's offered. Reasons include language barriers and misinformation. We hear from Dr Zubaida Haque, as well as children speaking various different languages to persuade their grans and granddads to get the jab.

The Welsh Labour MP, Alex Davies-Jones, says she was left without the majority of her cervix because she delayed getting a smear test. She wants to tell other women not to make the same mistake. According to the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, the MP Caroline Nokes, more then six hundred thousand women could miss their routine smear tests during the pandemic.

Music producer Phil Spector who has just died in a California jail was serving a life sentence for the murder of the actor Lana Clarkson. Lana Clarkson starred in a number of 1980s B movie sci-fi films like "Barbarian Queen" but at the time she met Spector she was working in a bar. Emma is joined by the biographer of Phil Spector, journalist and author Mick Brown.

Presenter: Emma Barnett