Weekend Woman's Hour: Pregnancy discrimination, Girls State and Carly Pearce

An employment tribunal has ruled that describing an expectant mother as 'emotional' at work was discrimination. Described as a David and Goliath case, Nicola Hinds, who had been an account manager at Mitie, a FTSE 250 company, represented herself. The judge upheld her claims of pregnancy discrimination and constructive dismissal saying she was 'inexcusably' ignored by her boss and portrayed as 'hormonal'. She is now in line to receive compensation.

A new documentary film, Girls State, spotlights the girls hoping they will become the first female President of the United States. It follows a real-life mock government programme attended by teenage girls in Missouri. The American Legion, who run the programmes, hold separate programmes for boys and girls in all fifty states in the US. Emma is joined by the film-maker Amanda McBain and Emily Worthmore, one of the girls who stands for Governor, the highest position in the mock government.

It’s almost the end of Ramadan 2024 – the month of fasting observed by Muslims all over the world. But what’s it like to be a modern woman, potentially on your period, and still going through Ramadan? We hear from Mehreen Baig from the podcast Not Even Water and Hodo Ibrahim, co-host of The Oversharers podcast, on the challenges and advantages of being a Muslim woman in Ramadan.

A new play at the Hampstead Theatre – The Divine Mrs S - explores the life of Sarah Siddons, who was the first truly respected female actor in theatre, achieving a huge level of celebrity at the end of the 18th century. April De Angelis’ backstage comedy explores the origins of celebrity culture and portrays Siddons, played by Rachael Stirling, as a pioneer in command of her own image and craft. We hear from April and Rachael about what inspired them to bring Siddons back to life.

And we have music and chat with one of Country Music’s biggest female stars, Carly Pearce, who went from working at Dollywood aged 16 to becoming a Grammy and three-time Country Music Association winner.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed