Woman's Hour

We hear about the impetus to chronicle the civil rights struggle in 1960s Mississippi from photographer Doris Derby

Women will be disproportionally affected by climate change. But they’re also at the forefront of campaigning against it. One of the most famous, Greta Thunberg, was in Bristol last week addressing crowds of young people. But have things changed since her first school strike in 2018? According to a new book, ‘Our House is on Fire – Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis’, they are but not nearly fast enough. What might motivate governments and people to truly act?

Composer Emily Hall will be telling us about the inspiration behind her piece for the Seven Ages of Women a new commission by Radio 3 to mark International Women’s Day on Sunday.

And we look at the huge success of TikTok the free social media app where users create, share and watch videos and ask; Why is it so popular among teenagers?

Presenter Jenni Murray

Guest; Doris Derby

Abi Dare has written a novel about house girls in Nigeria. It's called The Girl with the Louding Voice. The main character is Adunni who's 14 and has been sold into domestic servitude. She becomes a victim of rape, abuse and poverty but more than anything, she wants an education.

Coronavirus is dominating the news. There's a risk that the TV, radio, and social media coverage can be scary for children. So how do we reassure them, and how do we get the message across that what they do can protect themselves as well as others?

After mastectomies the aim is to make breasts look and feel as they did before but sensitivity tends to suffer. We hear about the changes women can expect and what treatments are available for women here in the UK from London breast surgeon, Dr Ayesha Khan. We also go to California to hear from Sarafina Nance who's an astrophysics PhD student in the US. She's leading a campaign to increase understanding of sensitivity and what can help. She talks to Jenni about an experimental nerve-preserving procedure she herself received in the US last year.

Women Beware Women is a Jacobean revenge drama about patriarchy, predation and the manipulation of young women. It's on in London and seems very relevant to our #MeToo era. The play features Tara Fitzgerald. She comes into the studio to discuss whether her character, Livia, is just a comical minx or a woman who both controls and destroys lives?

Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, was an astronaut in the team that launched the Hubble Space Telescope on April 25th, 1990. She joins Jane to talk about her experience of being a female astronaut in the '90s, and maintaining and repairing the most productive observatory in history.

The UK government is a world-leading investor in research on the prevention of violence against women and girls. Between 2013 and 2019 it has invested £25 million in pilots across 12 countries in Africa and Asia to research ways to prevent it in different contexts – the largest ever study of its kind. ‘What works to prevent violence against women and girls?’ has focused on producing rigorous evidence on a global scale for the first time that can be shared with other governments, donors and civil society organisations to encourage more effective global action. Many of those experts and organisations involved in the research in Africa are meeting in London today to reflect on their findings. Jane talks to a few of those involved about their research, their recommendations and what they hope will happen next.

Vogue Williams, TV presenter and influencer talks about being a parent in the public eye and parent shaming. Vogue is married to Spencer Matthews who she met on a reality TV series and they have a one-year old son, Theodore. Where does Vogue draw the line between a willingness to share her family life and standing up for herself if she is judged for her parenting decisions? How much is parent shaming here to stay?

Romy Gill’s new book 'Zaika’ celebrates vegan recipes from India. She joins Jane in the studio to cook the perfect Spicy Chickpeas.

Presenter - Jane Garvey

Hadley Freeman has written a memoir, House of Glass, the story of her Jewish relatives across the 20th century, her grandmother and great uncles who fled Poland for Paris after the anti-Jewish pogroms in 1918.

Presenter: Jane Garvey

On Monday, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of committing a criminal sexual act and third degree rape - and could go to jail for over 20 years. He was acquitted of two counts of predatory sexual assault. While some are celebrating the verdict as the start of a new era and a sign of changing public attitudes towards sexual assault, Weinstein's lead attorney Donna Rotunno promised to appeal, saying "the fight is not over". So what does the ruling mean for women?

The man booker prize winning author Anne Enright discusses her new novel Actress, her fascination with strong love between mothers and daughters, and the parallels between her own life and her heroine’s.

An estimated 1.24 million people are affected by eating disorders in the UK yet the treatment and diagnosis is still comparatively misunderstood. A new research programme launched this week will examine the genetic element of eating disorders and how this interacts with environmental factors.

Childhood cancer is thankfully rare and the past few decades have seen dramatic improvements in the outlook for children diagnosed with the disease; today more than three-quarters survive. We hear from three mothers – Sam, June and Jenny - whose children were diagnosed. How did they cope day to day watching their offspring struggle through endless treatment? How does it impact the rest of the family? And how has the experience affected their response to the world around them?

A young Muslim woman, Noor Inayat-Khan was many things: a dutiful daughter, a musician, an artist, a poet fluent in several languages and a published writer. Later, she was a vital part of the fight against Nazism, as a wireless telephonist in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. She sacrificed her life for the cause of freedom and now a new interactive exhibition is keeping her story alive. Lynelle Howson, an historian at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission tells us about her life and work.

Presenter Jenni Murray

Helen Lewis discusses her new book ‘Difficult Women: a history of feminism in 11 fights’ and why she believes that today’s feminists could gain from being more generous to the feminists of previous generations.

A new Care Quality Commission report says that in a three month period in 2018, 899 sexual incidents or incidents of alleged sexual abuse were reported that took place in adult social care services such as residential and nursing homes. Elderly women were the ones most at risk. Jenni is joined by Veronica Gray, deputy CEO for Action On Elder Abuse to discuss their concerns.

Dorka Herner studied psychology at university before becoming a TV journalist in Hungary. After having five children, she decided to change career and write a book ‘Inspired Parenting’ about what she had learnt as a mother. How do you become a more patient parent? How do you share attention between all of your children? And, what are the most common flashpoints in a crowded house?

Presenter: Jenni Murray

Childhood cancer is thankfully rare and the past few decades have seen dramatic improvements in the outlook for children diagnosed with the disease; today more than three-quarters survive. We hear from three mothers – Sam, June and Jenny - whose children were diagnosed. How did they cope day to day watching their offspring struggle through endless treatment? How does it impact the rest of the family? And how has the experience affected their response to the world around them?

Presenter: Jenni Murray

Interviewed Guest: Sam Waters-Long

Astrology concepts such as retrogrades and returns are no longer niche, they’re meme-worthy, and horoscopes have evolved from a bit of fun into revered life guidance. This isn’t the first time astrology has been part of the Zeitgeist, but it’s definitely enjoying a mainstream moment.

An estimated 1.24 million people are affected by eating disorders in the UK, and less than half of those people make a full recovery. Yet the treatment and diagnosis is still comparatively misunderstood. We look at research which is just about to be launched that'll examine the possible genetic links.

Clever working class women in the UK – how do they break through and how are they seen by their peers and those in power?

Plus the author Anne Enright talks to us about her new novel "actress .

Presenter Jenni Murray

Guest; Yasmin Boland

The Military Wives Choir captured the nation’s hearts when they got the number one spot in the Christmas chart in 2011. In her new film, Sharon Horgan plays one of the women who got the choir started. She joins us to discuss working on the feel-good project.

Yesterday, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of committing a criminal sexual act and third degree rape - and could go to jail for over 20 years. He was acquitted of two counts of predatory sexual assault. While some are celebrating the verdict as the start of a new era and a sign of changing public attitudes towards sexual assault, Weinstein's lead attorney Donna Rotunno promised to appeal, saying "the fight is not over". So what does the ruling mean for women? Jane talks through the ramifications with Amanda Taub from the New York Times and feminist writer and commentator, Joan Smith.

There are a growing number of videos on social media of dads doing hair - not their own but their daughter’s. And there are groups of men across the country who are gaining hairdressing skills so they can confidently style their daughter’s hair. Jack Woodhams is one of those dads, and he loves spending quality time with his daughter doing her hair. Khembe Clarke teaches dads the techniques they need to style their daughter’s natural afro hair.

A young Muslim woman, Noor Inayat-Khan was many things: a dutiful daughter, a musician, an artist, a poet fluent in several languages and a published writer. Later, she was a vital part of the fight against Nazism, as a wireless telephonist in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. She sacrificed her life for the cause of freedom and now a new interactive exhibition is keeping her story alive. Jane talks to Lynelle Howson, an historian at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Presenter - Jane Garvey

Guest - Amanda Taub

We continue our series Family Secrets. Listener Melanie explains why she finally went to the police to reveal her family secret after 37 years.

There's global attention on President Trump’s trip to India – a guest of Prime Minister Modi of the Hindu Nationalist BJP. This morning he'll be making a speech at a cricket stadium in Gujarrat. Meanwhile- hundreds of women are said to be on hunger strike in Uttar Pradesh in the north of the country, protesting about new Citizenship laws. Salman, Divya Arya, a Women’s Affairs journalist at the BBC in India, gives us the background to the protests which have been going on for some time.

Plus Majella works in the local chip shop in a small town in Northern Ireland with her alcohol-dependent mother. She’s the subject of Michelle Gallen’s first novel ‘Big Girl, Small Town’ . She talks to Jane about the inspiration behind it.

Presented Jane Garvey

Guest; Michelle Gallen