Woman's Hour

Tomorrow marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. The day's also become International Day of the Nurse. We speak to nurse and poet Molly Case and to Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer in England.

Childline has new figures about the number of under 11s wanting help because of the coronavirus lockdown. Jane talks to Laverne Antrobus a Child Psychologist at the Tavistock Clinic and to NSPCC campaigns manager, Helen Westerman.

Coronation Street is dealing with the issue of coercive control between husband and wife in one of its storylines. We hear from Shelley King who plays Yasmeen who's the victim, as well as Lindsay Williams who's one of the script writers on Corrie.

Caper, herb and egg flatbreads / SERVES 2 AS A LIGHT MEAL

200g thick Greek yoghurt

First, in a bowl mix the yoghurt with the grated zest and juice of half the lemon, a pinch of sea salt and a good grind of black pepper.

The conductor and organist Anna Lapwood tells us how she’s trying to get more girls to take up the organ.

Have women leaders handled the global health crisis of Covid-19 better than the men? And, what might explain why? Rosie Campbell, Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and Professor of Politics at King’s College London, and Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor in Global Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science discuss.

If lockdown measures are relaxed and children start the process of going back to school how will it work? Are social distancing measures remotely feasible with class sizes of 30? We hear from Dr Emma Kell who trains teachers and works for a pupil referral unit and virologist Professor Jonathan Ball.

We look at why the number of women experts used in news programmes across all networks has fallen during the Covid-19 pandemic? Emeritus Professor Lis Howell, who directs the Expert Women Project which records and reports the appearance of women authority figures on news programmes, and former cabinet minister Baroness Morgan of Cotes discuss.

Could your relationship survive one partner’s endurance sport obsession? In her new novel The Motion of the Body Through Space, Lionel Shriver explores the impact of extreme exercise on the ageing body and on one marriage in particular.

Produced by: Rabeka Nurmahomed

Interviewed guest: Rosie Campbell

Today marks 75 years since VE day and we remember the end of war in Europe. We speak to Shirley Mann about how her mother’s own war experience inspired her to track down more women’s stories from this time. She shares the stories she discovered of the women who were pilots, wireless operators, and even “plotters” in the Battle of Britain bunker – and what they did next.

Three women from the Armed Forces are taking legal action against the MOD claiming they are victims of sexual assault and rape. Their cases have already gone through military courts but there were no convictions and they believe justice would be better served if their cases were dealt with through the usual routes: the police and the CPS. We hear from lawyer Emma Norton, director of a new organisation called the Centre for Military Justice, who is representing the three women.

Is Ireland going through a ‘golden age of literature’ when it comes to women’s writing? Sally Rooney and Anna Burns are hugely popular but what is behind this boom in new writing? Writers Lucy Caldwell and Jan Carson discuss.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been hearing from women around the world who have dragged out their sewing machines to make face masks at home. In the Czech Republic masks are mandatory so Marcela has been doing her bit as she tells Maria Margaronis.

For some people lockdown has proved the perfect time for some DIY and home improvements - from wallpapering to tiling to even a spot of joinery. How comfortable are you about doing the work yourself? We discuss the dos and don’ts with DIY expert Jo Behari and Sarah Beeny, presenter of HGTV’s ‘Renovate Don’t Relocate.’

The leaders of the USA, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Italy and the UK have come in for some criticism over their handling of the Coronavirus pandemic. They all have one thing in common, and it has been widely remarked on – they’re men. From Jacinda Ardern to Angela Merkel, women leaders across the world seem to be coping with Covid-19 better. But is it true? And, what might explain why? Jenni talks to Rosie Campbell, Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and Professor of Politics at King’s College London and Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor in Global Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Could your relationship survive one partner’s endurance sport obsession? In her new novel The Motion of the Body Through Space, Lionel Shriver explores the impact of extreme exercise on the ageing body and on one marriage in particular. Since taking aim at the whole concept of cultural appropriation in a speech at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in 2016, Shriver has become well known for her criticism of identity politics. How does that manifest in the book? She joins Jenni to discuss.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been hearing from women around the world who are making face masks at home for family, health-workers and in this case child refugees in camps in Greece. Rabha Nasr who lives in Greece now spoke to Maria Margaronis, who asked her to choose some music she listens to when she sews.

Next week marks 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. We discuss her life, and legacy and impact on nursing in 2020. Anne-Marie Rafferty, Professor of Nursing Policy, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursery, Midwifery and Palliative Care at King’s College, London joins Jenni along with Greta Westwood, CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation.

Presented by Jenni Murray

Anna Lapwood is one of the UK’s few female concert organists. She was the first woman to be awarded an Organ Scholarship at Magdalen College, Oxford, in its 560-year history. She was then appointed the youngest ever Director of Music at Pembroke College at Cambridge University aged just 21. She has used this position to spearhead a number of initiatives including a choir for 11-18 year old girls and the Cambridge Organ Experience for Girls which encourages girls to take up the organ. We hear her Pembroke Chapel Choir performing Media Vita by Karensa Briggs. Anna's also making her presenting debut hosting BBC Four’s coverage of the BBC Young Musician 2020.

MPs are to try to outlaw the courtroom murder defence of “rough sex gone wrong” during parliamentary debates on the domestic abuse bill, as cases of domestic violence soar during the coronavirus lockdown. Elizabeth Yardley is Professor of Criminology and Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University. She tells us about her research into femicide in Great Britain in the 21st Century and what action she thinks needs to be taken to save women's lives and achieve justice for those killed.

In 1964, June Almeida identified the first human coronavirus at her laboratory in St Thomas' Hospital in London. Her paper to a peer-reviewed journal was rejected because the referees said the images she produced were just bad pictures of influenza virus particles. She died in 2007 and is only now getting recognition. Medical writer, George Winter explains more about how her research helps us in understanding COVID-19.

Inspired by the tradition of May Queens, the Queens of Industry represented industries like coal mining, railways, wool and cotton. The tradition began in the 1920s and took young women out of their day to day lives to promote their industry and represent their fellow workers. They were celebrated at an exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum in 2018 and Louise Adamson talked to the exhibition’s curator, John McGoldrick; Deborah Barry, who was Northumbria Coal Queen in 1982 and Doreen Fletcher, née Kerfoot, who was Yorkshire Wool Queen in 1947.

Another in our series of interviews with women around the world who are sewing face masks at home for family, friends and sometimes health-workers to wear during the pandemic. Sara Fitzell is Maori and lives on the North Island of New Zealand.

Presented by Jenni Murray

Interviewed guest: Elizabeth Yardley

Many parents have been longing for the the day the kids can go back to school following the lockdown. How are you feeling about sending your children back into the classroom?

Over the last week, a number of old and offensive posts on Twitter have resurfaced. Many of them were written by influencers, artists and presenters. The majority of them contain abusive language towards dark skinned black women. Now the "court of public opinion" is calling for these individuals to be "cancelled". What's behind highlighting something some one said years ago? And what impact is it having on young black women online? .

Despite having no experience of crofting or of island life, Tamsin Calidas moves with her husband from London to a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides. It’s idyllic, for a while but as the months wear on, Tamsin finds herself in ever-increasing isolation. She talks to Jane about beginning her journey back from the brink.

Plus a report out today from the Child Poverty Action Group and the Church of England suggests that tens of thousands of families newly claiming Universal Credit because of the pandemic and shutdown will be affected by the benefit’s two child limit. It means that for claimants with three or more children only those born before 6 April 2017 will be counted in the benefit payment. We hear why they want the cap to be lifted.

Presenter Jane Garvey

Guest Tobí Rachel Akingbadé

The breakout of COVID-19 has put many aspects of life on hold – including the Big Day. Emily McMahon and her partner Jack Walsh tell us about their online wedding with friends and family over video call.

The Expert Women Project has been recording and reporting the appearance of women authority figures appearing on news programmes for the last five years. Since this project began the number of women experts on these programmes has risen by at least 40%. Emeritus Professor Lis Howell directs the project and the former cabinet minister Baroness Morgan of Cotes, one of its supporters, join Jane to discuss the latest batch of results tracking the appearance of women on flagship news programming during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Tishani Doshi is an Indian poet, writer, and dancer. Her latest novel, Small Days and Nights tells the story of Grace who returns to India from the USA to cremate her mother, only to find out she has an unexpected inheritance, a house on the beach and a sister with down’s syndrome.

How does it feel to be bereaved and living alone during coronavirus? In today’s Woman’s Hour Corona Diaries, Elaine Chambers from Brighton talks about how being forced to give up social activities has affected the process of grief - and how she’s trying to cope with the emotional exhaustion of daily life.

And the programme everyone's talking about the adapation of Sally Rooney's "Normal People"

Guest; Professor Lis Howell

Alison White's memoir Letter to Louis about raising a child with cerebral palsy and learning disabilities was the subject of the Woman's Hour drama. Jenni spoke to Alison and Louis. She also heard from Edel Harris, chief executive of Mencap about life during lockdown for adults with learning disabilities and their carers.

Rachel Winterflood, a critical care nurse; “Mary” who works as a nurse in ICU and Jessica Sainsbury, a student nurse who has opted to finish her training with clinical practice discuss their experiences and concerns working on the frontline.

The psychologist Caspar Addyman on his new book The Laughing Baby, which is all about the science of why babies laugh.

The Netflix series Unorthodox tells the story of a teenager who flees her ultra Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community and an arranged marriage in New York, for a new life in Berlin. The four part drama series is inspired by Deborah Feldman’s 2012 autobiography Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots.

British Indian cook Asma Khan has only ever employed women in her restaurant kitchen since she founded Darjeeling Express in 2015. Forced to close in March, she tells Jenni how she is looking after her staff now, and what she’s been cooking at home during Ramadan.

Some people are experiencing fitful nights in lockdown, with a number of social media users reporting unusually vivid dreams. What is the science behind dreaming? Dr. Megan Crawford from the Sleep Research Unit at Strathclyde University, and the psychotherapist Lucy Beresford discuss.

Presenter: Jane Garvey

The number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK has now passed 26,000, with some 15,000 in hospital. More than 100 NHS workers have died, a third of them nurses. What are the experiences and concerns of nurses working on the front line? Jane Garvey talks to Rachel Winterflood, a critical care nurse; “Mary” who works as a nurse in ICU and Jessica Sainsbury, a student nurse who has opted to finish her training with clinical practice.

We talk to the two women who set up Glasgow City FC in 1988 at a time when sexism was a real problem in achieving equality in women's football (and still is!). Denied the access to the football they wanted to play when they were growing up Laura Montgomery and Cas Stewart decided to create the best team in Scotland and did! Glasgow City FC went on to win 13 consecutive League titles and reach the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter finals twice.

The psychologist Caspar Addyman’s new book The Laughing Baby is all about the science of why babies laugh. He tells us what sets off a peal of delightful giggles and we hear stories and recordings from listeners about the things that have made their babies laugh.

Marisa Meltzer was put on her first diet at the age of 5. Fast forward nearly four decades, Marisa comes across an obituary for Jean Nidetch, the woman who founded Weight Watchers in 1963. Marisa feels a moment of intense connection and decides to sign up for a year of Weight Watchers. In her book, This is Big Marisa ties together the biography of Jean Nidetch with her own story about body image, weight and her complicated relationship to food and dieting.

Caroline Nokes was elected chairman of the House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee earlier this year. However, her committee had met just once before the lockdown began. She has since launched an inquiry into the unequal impact of Covid 19. Last week, her committee of MPs sat for the first time online. Today is the deadline for anyone wishing to submit written evidence to that inquiry.

With one of the world’s leading condom manufacturers temporarily stopping production due to coronavirus lockdowns, there are fears over shortages of contraceptives. Jenni talks to Dr Sarah Jarvis about the availability of contraceptives, how to access them and make sure you stay protected.

We’re hearing from women around the world who are making face masks at home for family, friends and, in this case, health workers to wear during the Covid 19 pandemic. Humpheretta is from Liberia; she campaigns for a charity supporting women and girls when she’s not at work in a designer clothes shop.

British Indian cook Asma Khan has only ever employed women in her restaurant kitchen since she founded Darjeeling Express in 2015. Forced to close in March, she tells Jenni how she is looking after her staff now, and what she’s been cooking at home during Ramadan.

The Netflix series Unorthodox tells the story of a teenager who flees her ultra Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community and an arranged marriage in New York, for a new life in Berlin. The four part drama series is inspired by Deborah Feldman’s 2012 autobiography Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots.

Presenter - Jenni Murray

Asma's Lockdown recipe - Aloo Bharta - Spicy potato mash

Bengal is the land of bhortas – the Bengali pronunciation of the Hindi word ‘bharta’, which means mashed. There are many variations on this dish. Here I am giving the recipe for two of my favourite versions. One is a mix of fresh, raw ingredients while the other requires a bit of cooking. Either way, Aloo Bharta goes perfectly with dal and rice. If you want to make this dish for more than two people, multiply the quantities given below.

Serves 2

2 large baking potatoes (approximately 500 g/1 lb 2 oz)

For the fresh, raw version

For the cooked version

Cook the potatoes by either baking or boiling them using your preferred method. While the potatoes are still warm but cool enough to handle, remove their skins. In a bowl, mash the potatoes until smooth, using a masher or fork.

To make the fresh, raw version, simply add all the other ingredients to the mashed potato and mix. Serve at room temperature.

To make the cooked version, in a frying pan (skillet), heat the oil, add all the other ingredients, except the coriander leaves, and fry until brown. Add the warm fried onion mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix. Serve at room temperature with a few fresh coriander leaves scattered over the top.

(Recipe originally printed in Asma's Indian Kitchen)