Woman's Hour

Dolly Alderton joins Jane to talk about her first novel Ghosts. Her protagonist Nina Dean is dealing with a lot. She’s trying to make it as a food writer and finally has a flat of her own. Her dad is slipping away from her into dementia and her Mum is set on re-inventing herself. Friends are changing and disappearing into coupledom and parenting so when Max shows up via a dating app he seems like a dream come true. In fact, Nina’s problems are only just beginning.

A rape survivor we are calling Katie contacted Woman’s Hour to tell her story. After a horrific ordeal at the end of last year, a few weeks ago her former partner was convicted of rape and sexual assault and was give a lengthy prison sentence. Katie feels that she has had justice and that she was well treated by the police and in court. But, as she explains to Jane, she is left with questions and an uncomfortable feeling that other victims of rape might not have had the same treatment or outcome. At a time when the rate of convictions for rape have fallen to an all-time low, Gillian Jones, QC and Head of Chambers at Red Lion in London, responds.

When many of us suddenly switched to home working back in March, we might have thought we would be back in the office by now, but 30% of us are still working from home, and there is no timetable yet for returning to offices. So how’s it going, sharing work space with other adults, children or indeed no-one at all? What have we learned about the do’s and don’ts over the last 7 months? Jane speaks to clinical psychologist Linda Blair, and Chloe Davies, Head of PR & Partnerships at MyGWork, who originally told us about her experiences of juggling her work and two young sons back in May.

A striking new female figure can be seen in Kings’ Place in London, and online from this week. Medusa is a tall, headless woman whose body turns into snakes made of chainmail. For her creator, Manchester-based artist Susie MacMurray, the sculpture is a metaphor for women’s power. She and a team of female art students used 300 kilos of copper wire to create Medusa, as part of a new exhibition of her work, Murmur, which opens on 21 October. A free preview tour is also being livestreamed on YouTube and Instagram this Thursday 15 October at 6pm, just search for Pangolin London.

Lip fillers and other cosmetic procedures are increasingly popular and there’s even been what the industry is calling a “zoom boom” over the last few months with people wanting to change their appearance after spending hours looking at themselves on their computers. But it’s not just adults turning to fillers, it’s also teenagers who’re often targeted on social media by advertisers and are in part influenced by the celebrities they see on TV shows. What you may not realise however is that it’s completely legal for under 18s to get fillers and it’s an area that is at present completely unregulated. Anyone can administer fillers and there are even reports of people buying fillers online and injecting themselves after watching a how-to session on Youtube. Jane Garvey talks to Laura Trott MP who is trying to get a law passed to stop under 18s accessing filler treatments and Ashton Collins from Save Face.

What’s it like to get a diagnosis of ADHD as a woman in middle age? We often associate the condition with much younger people, usually boys, partly because ADHD in girls presents itself in a much quieter way. But Emma Mahony’s ADHD was formally diagnosed when she was 52. She’s written a book called Better Late Than Never, which explores how her diagnosis makes sense of her life and the decisions she’s made.

Do women forgive differently from men? Jane speaks to Sandra Barefoot who works in prisons with the Forgiveness Project. She is running creative writing workshops in November with Cecilia Knapp, Young People’s Laureate for London and Anne Marie Cockburn whose daughter died of an ecstasy overdose. Can writing help people find strategies for forgiveness?

Presenter: Jane Garvey

Website image of Medusa courtesy of Ben Blackall

Carla Bruni's new album is described as "a wholehearted embracing of her true self." She talks to Sangita about the inspiration behind it and life under lockdown.

The impact of Covid-19 on working class women.

Plus the choices of set texts offered by the major exam boards for GCSE English literature. Djamila Boothman, an English and Assistant headteacher at a school in North London and children’s author Onjali Rauf discuss why we need more books written by authors of different backgrounds and ethnicities

And Onjali Rauf will also be talking about her new book The Night Bus Hero which is told from the point of view of a bully.

Presenter: Sangita Myska

Guest: Carla Bruni

As the new three tier Covid lock down system comes into force in England we talk to some of the businesses which’re now facing stricter restrictions. Hannah Butler who runs the Victoria Hotel in the centre of Nottingham – a city which is now in the high risk tier - and also to Tanya Harrison who runs a hair salon in Liverpool which is now in the highest risk tier. And as the Northern Ireland executive meets today to agree what new measures are needed to curb the steep rise in covid cases there, Tina McKenzie from the Federation of Small Businesses will assess the economic impact of any new restrictions.

In her book Overdue: Birth, Burnout and a Blueprint for a Better NHS, Amity Reed describes what led her to becoming a midwife, in particular her desire to properly support and care for women throughout pregnancy, birth and postnatally. The reality of working in over-stretched and underfunded NHS maternity service soon shattered her illusions. The former midwife joins Jane to talk about her experiences as a midwife.

Lisa Beaumont has just been awarded Health Play Specialist of the Year from The Starlight Children’s Foundation, for her work at Leeds Children’s hospital. She joins Jane to discuss the help she provides to seriously sick children, and the impact coronavirus is having on the service she can provide.

Presenter: Jane Garvey

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Royal College of Midwives are urging all pregnant women to take up the offer of a free flu vaccination this winter to protect themselves and their baby from complications caused by the flu virus. Sangita Myska is joined by Dr Jo Mountfield, Consultant Obstetrician and Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to discuss why this is so important.

Three-quarters of women living with HIV in the UK are women of Black, Asian or minority ethnic background. Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan, a consultant in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, wants to see a renewed focus on how to access those women, ensure that they have the healthcare they need to live long and healthy lives, and break down the stigma around HIV that is intense within some communities. She says South Asian women form a silent and often overlooked minority of women living with HIV, which is concerning as sexually transmitted infections are rising fastest in Asians compared to other ethnicities. Sangita Myska talks to Rageshri and two women living with HIV; Mina Kakaiya who is a mental health and mindfulness trainer of South Asian heritage, and Bakita Kasadha who is a British-Ugandan poet, activist and researcher.

What are the new trends for fashion and make up this autumn, and has your approach to beauty changed with the pandemic? Sangita is joined by Edwina Ings-Chambers, beauty director at YOU magazine, Kaushal, a beauty and lifestyle content creator who has 2 million subscribers on YouTube and also to the Telegraph’s Shopping Editor Krissy Turner.

Debra Whittingham spent over 31 years in the Royal Navy before taking over a role that is steeped in history. She became the first female Deputy Governor of the Tower of London in 2017. Debra is one of the stars in a new series of The Tower of London documentary to be shown on Channel 5 this Wednesday, and joins Sangita.

Around 300,000 women have epilepsy in the UK. Epilepsy Research UK say that hormones can affect epilepsy, and drugs used to control it need to be very carefully balanced with medication that women take. Dr Susan Duncan is a consultant neurologist. Torie, 30 and Ruth, 60 both have it.

Three of our Power List judges Lucy Siegle, Flo Headlam and Prof Alice Larkin answer your questions on how to live a greener life.

The opera singer Natalya Romaniw has just been named Young Artist of the Year at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards, she tells us about the challenges of performing live during the pandemic.

Last week the first hydrogen train in the UK took its maiden journey. There’s still a lot to do like making room for the batteries underneath the train, and increasing the speed. Helen Simpson and Chandra Morbey are two women behind the project.javascript:void(0)

Writer and journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s new book, Ladies who Punch, is about fifty daring courageous indomitable women. The women who inspire her are black, white and brown.” Women,” she says, “have issues in common, regardless of race. Differences matter but commonalities matter more and we seem to have lost sight of that.” Joining her to discuss these issues is academic and writer, Ruby Hamad, author of forthcoming book, White Tears, Brown Scars: How White Feminism betrays women of colour.

Essex Girls are the butt of countless jokes and preconceptions. Jane hears from the author Sarah Perry who has written in praise of the Essex Girl aimed at “profane and opinionated women everywhere”, and the food writer and political campaigner Jack Monroe who is a proud Essex Girl.

Presenter: Jane Garvey

Jane Garvey talks to a woman who survived being groomed by a gang in Rotherham, also to Yasmin Alibhai Brown and Ruby Hamad about identity politics and feminism and we hear from the older women who enjoy dating younger men.

Experts in epilepsy say women are disproportionately affected by the condition. Around 300,000 women have it in the UK. Epilepsy Research UK say that hormones can affect epilepsy, and drugs used to control it need to be very carefully balanced with medication that women take like The Pill or HRT. Women with epilepsy are also ten times more likely to die in pregnancy. Dr Susan Duncan is a consultant neurologist. Torie, 30 and Ruth, 60 both have it.

Dating apps have changed how you can meet a potential partner and you can choose exactly what you like as all the information about sexuality, age, background and sexual preferences are laid out. Our reporter Henrietta Harrison, in her forties, recently joined a dating app and was inundated with messages from men in their twenties but felt uneasy about some of the approaches. It seems the ‘older woman with a younger man’ dynamic is growing in popularity on dating apps and it has long been popular in porn. She wanted to understand more about the attraction between younger men and older women. Henrietta spoke to 28 year old man we are calling Richard who is in a polyamorous relationship and regularly dates women in their forties and fifties.

What is resilience? Is it something we are born with, or do our life experiences help to shape it? And does failure help us to build it? Jane discusses the issues with the writer and podcaster Elizabeth Day, author of Failosophy A Handbook For When Things Go Wrong, with the Psychologist, Emma Kenny and the Paralympian and motivational speaker Martine Wright MBE.

Producer: Henrietta Harrison

The opera singer Natalya Romaniw joins Jane to talk about the challenges performing live in the Covid-era and her latest role as Mimi in the ENO’s La Bohème at Alexandra Palace in London.

As the political party conference season comes to a close Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff and Katy Balls from the Spectator consider what, if any, policies are on the table for women. Men are disproportionately affected by Covid 19 in health terms but it is women who seem to be bearing the brunt of the economic fallout of the pandemic as well as taking on a larger share of domestic work and childcare. Is the virus a step back for women’s rights? And what are the political parties planning to do about it?

Apart from walking and cycling, the train is the greenest way of getting around. Trains, especially diesel ones, still emit carbon dioxide though. But, last week the first hydrogen train in the UK took its maiden journey. It’s 100% clean. There’s still a lot to do like making room for the batteries underneath the train, and increasing the speed. Jane talks to Helen Simpson and Chandra Morbey, two women – who do a jobshare – behind project.

We explore the issue of Essex Girls – the butt of countless jokes and preconceptions – with the Oxford English Dictionary referring to her as "unintelligent, promiscuous, and materialistic", while Collins adds "devoid of taste" to the mix. The author Sarah Perry has just penned a book in praise of the Essex Girl aimed at “profane and opinionated women everywhere” and she’s joined by the food writer and political campaigner Jack Monroe and a proud fellow Essex Girl.

Natalya Romaniw photo - copyright Patrick Allen.

Presented by Jane Garvey.

We've been overwhelmed by the phenomenal response we’ve had from listeners about this year's Woman's Hour Power List - so today we’re making it all about you!

Do you have questions about living a greener life? Do you want to help the planet but aren’t sure how? Send us your eco-dilemmas, queries and questions and our Power List judges Lucy Siegle, Flo Headlam and Prof Alice Larkin will be on hand with top tips and advice.

You can tweet us @BBCWomansHour or email your questions to [email protected]