Woman's Hour

Listener Week continues on Woman's Hour as we bring your stories, ideas and the issues you want to hear about to the air.What happens when a woman earns more than her partner, or is the sole earner in a household? For some couples, it’s a practical arrangement that works well. For others, it can bring unexpected tensions, challenging traditional ideas about gender, identity and power. Listener Karla emailed the programme to say that she wanted to talk about what it means to be a female breadwinner. She joins Anita Rani along with Melissa Hogenboom, author of the book Breadwinners.Lynne got in touch with the show to share her experience of being a stepmother and ask why people question the validity of her role and other her. Lynne explains that her bonds with her partner and her stepdaughter are incredibly strong, but expresses confusion and anxiety at how people react to her being a stepmum. Lynne talks to Anita and Professor Lisa Doodson, a chartered psychologist, author and stepmother herself, who has carried out research into this topic.After our recent series about women and gaming, listener Jacqueline got in touch to say, 'I use games to 'check out' of life and to cope with an overwhelming amount of stuff that I need to manage. The games are an escape, but all those issues just come rushing back afterwards. I don't know where to turn for help.' Jacqueline joins Anita to share her experience, alongside consultant psychiatrist Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, founder and Director of the National Centre for Gaming Disorders.Last weekend Laura Hollywood was crowned Europe’s Strongest Woman at the Official Strongman European Championship. We heard about her achievements from her friend Helen, who is a Woman’s Hour listener. As well as being a ‘strong-woman’, Laura is also a strength coach, supporting women through the perimenopause, helping them to embrace their strength, enhance their performance, and build their best self. Laura joins Anita to explain what it take to become a ‘strong woman’.Mary-Havana Little is a traditional fibrous plasterer. She got in touch for Listener Week to suggest we talk about traditional crafts. Mary is one of the few women in the plastering world, working to create ornate decorative mouldings using techniques from hundreds of years ago. She joins Anita to speak about working in this male-dominated craft, and why she wants to inspire more women and girls into the industry.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt

Diana Keys, recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, shares her impactful journey and highlights the lack of female representation in MND narratives. Dame Pamela Shaw, a leading MND researcher, discusses critical advancements in treatment. Sally Ruffles opens up about defying societal expectations around grandparenthood. Jo Bell, a former Canal Laureate, reflects on her life on a narrowboat, embracing a unique lifestyle. Join these voices as they navigate challenges, redefine roles, and celebrate diverse experiences.

Listener Week continues on Woman's Hour as we bring your stories, ideas and the issues you want to hear about to the air.Carola got in touch to ask if we could find out more about the benefits of testosterone for post-menopausal women. Dr Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at the Institute for Women’s Health at University College London, joins Nuala McGovern to discuss the evidence. When we think about children in situations of domestic abuse, it’s often young children we think of - but what about adult children? We received a letter from a listener telling us about a dilemma she is facing. After previously being in an abusive relationship with the father of her four adult children, she’s now considering whether to tell them that their parents’ relationship was coercive. Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, and coercive control expert Dr Gemma Katz join us to discuss the issues around a parent deciding whether to be honest with their grown-up children or continue to protect them from their reality. Jess wrote in to tell us about a poem she came across on social media about the post-partum period, calling it “absolutely beautiful”. She added: “There are hundreds of comments across Instagram and TikTok of mothers feeling exactly the same way. Please check it out, I would love to hear more from this poet.” We’ve tracked her down and her name is Amy Williams. She joins us to perform the poem live in the studio. Listener Sarah Hutchinson wants to know more about dreams. Specifically, why she has been having more vivid, memorable dreams during the recent heatwaves, and whether women’s experience of dreaming is linked to the menstrual cycle? Sarah joins Nuala along with Caroline Horton, Professor of Sleep and Cognition and director of the DrEAMSLab at Bishop Grosseteste University. And listener Heather tells us what it was like setting up one of the first dating agencies in the 1980s, aimed at helping people in rural communities find love. Presented by: Nuala McGovern Produced by: Sarah Jane Griffiths and Di McGregor

To kick this week off, we heard from listener Melanie Williams. Melanie is forever having to adjust her seatbelt because of her bust size. She worries if she were to be in an accident she would end up choking or being strangled by her seatbelt rather than protected by it. Melanie joins Nuala McGovern to discuss, along with motoring journalist Maria McCarthy who has been looking into the issue. How might the use of AI in recruitment be negatively impacting women's chances of finding work? Listener Valerie joins Nuala to talk about the challenges of being shortlisted for jobs. They are also joined by Judy Wajcman, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, she has written extensively on the relationship between gender, science and technology, and Lauren Spearman who is a careers content creator and brand consultant. After 30 years of marriage, Margaret Murphy moved from the family home in Australia to the UK—alone. Fifteen years later, she and her husband are still married, despite living on opposite sides of the world. She believes her later-life choices reflect a freer, more modern way to look at traditional married life—one that may appeal to listeners. Amy Ennion is a 32-year-old engineer from Surrey, who in her spare time, is an ultra-marathon swimmer. She has swum the English Channel, the length of Lake Windermere twice, she has swum Lac Leman in Geneva for 28 hours straight and just a few weeks ago she swam the length of Loch Ness! After her mother and partner wrote into Woman's Hour about her, Amy tells us what it’s like to swim for such an extreme period of time. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to stand in front of a room full of strangers and make them laugh? Listener Susan Warlock wanted to explore older women taking up stand-up comedy. At 66, she decided to try it herself – and after just one gig, she was completely hooked. She joins Nuala along with writer, performer & stand-up comedy teacher Rach Sambrooks. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Dianne McGregor

The Lionesses have made history by becoming the first England football squad to win a major trophy on foreign soil, they successfully defended their European title in Basel last night. The match went to extra time and penalties - Clare McDonnell got reaction and reflection from guests including 5Live commentator Vicki Sparks, BBC Sport correspondent Katie Gornall, chief executive of the Women's Professional League Nikki Doucet and star player Lucy Bronze's mum Diane.The BBC has found that five women who were exploited by so-called grooming gangs in Rotherham as children say they were also abused by police officers in the town at the time. One woman says she was raped repeatedly in a marked police car, and threatened with being handed back to the gang if she didn't comply. The BBC's Ed Thomas brings us the story and Clare hears from Professor Alexis Jay who is the author of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse and Zoë Billingham, former His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary.Actor Michelle Collins, best known as Cindy Beale in the BBC’s EastEnders, makes her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in Motorhome Marilyn, a dark comedy inspired by Michelle's real-life encounter with a woman Cindy saw in LA. The play reveals the toll of living in the shadow of an icon, exploring failure, ageing and the heartbreaking cost of unattained dreams. Michelle joined Datshiane from Edinburgh to talk about her debut.Hattie Williams lost her mother when she was 18 years old leaving her feeling anchorless and needing to embark on a self-exploratory journey to recover some stability. When she experienced motherhood, she felt that she had achieved that. She told Anita Rani how these experiences inspired her first novel, Bitter Sweet, which she wrote on her maternity leave.Sara Pascoe is a comedian, and her children don’t sleep, her kitchen won’t clean itself and her husband “doesn’t want to be in it”. Sara’s new show - I am a Strange Gloop – is on a UK tour. She stumbles stunned to the stage from the soft play area, with battle-hardened tales to tell on the front line of motherhood.Nicola Benedetti is a Grammy award winning violinist and ambassador for classical music. She is also director of the Edinburgh International Festival, which begins on Friday. In October she’s due to embark on her first solo tour in more than ten years. She joined Clare to discuss the repertoire, and how she will combine solo performances with storytelling, and share a selection of shorter works.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Corinna Jones

Hattie Williams lost her mother when she was 18 years old leaving her feeling anchorless and needing to embark on a self-exploratory journey to recover some stability. When she experienced motherhood, she felt that she had achieved that. She tells Anita Rani how these experiences inspired her first novel, Bitter Sweet, which she wrote on her maternity leave. The US has announced fresh tariffs on more than 90 countries. Lesotho is one of the countries being hit by a 15% tariff on its exported goods - this will come into effect on 7 August. Lesotho has become known as the "denim capital of Africa", with the country’s textile industry sitting at the heart of its economy, where more than 80% of workers are women. To discuss how will these tariffs affect women around the world, Anita speaks to BBC Africa journalist Shingai Nyoka and ODI Global Think Tank’s Prachi Agarwal .The family of a 25-year-old woman who’s dangerously ill with anorexia nervosa has won a legal battle to overturn a previous court decision. It is the first time the Court of Protection has reversed a case involving someone with an eating disorder. Reporter Carolyn Atkinson gives an update about this complex case. The Estate at the National Theatre in London follows a Sikh family in crisis over a disputed inheritance set against the backdrop of a political election. The play sees Angad - who is leader of the opposition - and his two sisters clash over who deserves the most compensation from their late father. It's the debut play of Shaan Sahota who is also a practicising doctor. She joins Anita in the studio.Presented by Anita Rani Producer: Louise Corley

The Women’s Open begins at Royal Porthcawl on the south coast of Wales where over the next four days the biggest names in women's golf will compete to win the fifth and final major of the year. Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by The Telegraph's golf correspondent James Corrigan. Actor Michelle Collins, best known as Cindy Beale in the BBC’s EastEnders, makes her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in Motorhome Marilyn, a dark comedy inspired by Michelle's real-life encounter with a woman Cindy saw in LA. The play reveals the toll of living in the shadow of an icon, exploring failure, ageing and the heartbreaking cost of unattained dreams. Michelle joins Datshiane from our Edinburgh studio.The Bishop of Monmouth - Cherry Vann - has been elected as the new Archbishop of Wales. She is the first female Anglican Archbishop to serve in the UK. She replaces Andrew John who has retired after the publication of reports highlighting safeguarding concerns at Bangor Cathedral. She is the first leader of the Church in Wales to be in a same-sex civil partnership. Datshiane is joined by Madeleine Davies, Senior writer for the Church Times, to discuss.Disability campaigners are calling on the Government to reform and protect the Access to Work scheme - which was set up over 30 years ago to offer financial support for disabled people in the workplace or trying to enter it. Datshiane is joined by disability campaigner and journalist Dr Shani Dhanda and Rachel Parker, a young woman with autism who had to shut her bakery business after delays and difficulties renewing her grant from the scheme. British Asian girl band Girl Like You, released their first Punjabi song and track this year, Best Friend, as part of a collaboration with Indian Music Artists. It made its way to number one for seven weeks on the Official British Asian music charts. Now, they’ve just released their much-anticipated lead debut single, Boy Bye. So, who are these young women and how are they breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes? Yasmin, Naveena and Jaya join Datshiane in the studio and sing live. Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Corinna Jones

The Lionesses have made history by becoming the first England football squad to win a major trophy on foreign soil, they successfully defended their European title in Basel last night. The match went to extra time and penalties - Clare McDonnell gets reaction and reflection from guests including 5Live commentator Vicki Sparks, BBC Sport correspondent Katie Gornall, chief executive of the Women's Professional League Nikki Doucet and star player Lucy Bronze's mum Diane.Nicola Benedetti is a Grammy award winning violinist and ambassador for classical music. She is also director of the Edinburgh International Festival, which begins on Friday. In October she’s due to embark on her first solo tour in more than ten years. She joins Clare to discuss the repertoire, and how she will combine solo performances with storytelling, and share a selection of shorter works.As part of our series taking a deep dive into the world of women and gaming, Nuala speaks to Cath Bowie, a 76-year-old grandmother from the north east of Scotland who spends her free time playing and streaming Fortnite.England's win over Spain to retain their Euros title has cemented Sarina Wiegman's status as one of the world's greatest football managers. This was her third successive European title, having also won it with her home nation, the Netherlands in 2017. What makes her such a successful manager? Clare speaks to Tom Garry, women's football writer for the Guardian.

The BBC has found that five women who were exploited by so-called grooming gangs in Rotherham as children say they were also abused by police officers in the town at the time. One woman says she was raped repeatedly in a marked police car, and threatened with being handed back to the gang if she didn't comply. The BBC's Ed Thomas brings us the story and Clare McDonnell hears from Professor Alexis Jay who is the author of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse and Zoë Billingham, former His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary. New mums are often inundated with advice, whether that's from their own mums or well meaning women in their lives. Increasingly though, given the sheer amount of our lives that takes place on social media the advice can come straight through our phones. It's led to what the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is calling 'advice overwhelm'. They say two thirds of new mums surveyed felt being inundated with advice added to the pressures of motherhood. It also found a third of new parents feel it's 'self-indulgent' to seek therapy and support. Clare is joined by Georgina Sturmer from BACP and Emma Gould, a mum of three who has experience of this. Julie is a new play about Julie Livingstone, a 14-year-old girl who died after being struck by a plastic bullet fired from an Army Saracen in May 1981 in Belfast, at the height of the hunger strike crisis. It is written and performed by her niece, award-winning actress Charlotte McCurry, who wasn't born when the tragedy happened but has grown up with Julie's legacy. Charlotte joins Clare. With the women's Euro's over, talk has turned to what next for the women's game in this country. One club which often gets mentioned when looking at alternative ways of running a football club is Lewes FC in East Sussex. It gained national attention back in 2017 when it became the first club in the world to pay its men and women equally. It hasn't been smooth sailing and there are questions even now about its financial viability, but one of those who championed its move to gender equality is Karen Dobres. She's even written a book about it – Pitch Invasion, my story as a feminist on a Football Club Board. Karen joins Clare in the studio. Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Emma Pearce

Lynda La Plante joins Clare McDonnell to discuss her latest novel, The Scene of the Crime, which follows CSI Jessica Russell and her team as they investigate a high-profile robbery and assault in East London. Now in her eighties, the prolific author talks about the in-depth research behind her writing and what keeps her motivated to write. The family and friends of Simone White who died from alcohol poisoning, along with five others, after drinking shots at a hostel in Laos last year, have launched a successful campaign to introduce alcohol safety classes in schools. Clare speaks to Simone’s friend, Bethany Clarke, who was travelling with her, drank the same drinks and has been involved in the campaign. The Women’s Rugby World Cup is kicking off in just three weeks’ time. The tournament will be hosted in England, and there’s growing excitement across all four home nations. Clare finds out more from Katy Daley-McLean, who captained the Red Roses to World Cup victory in 2014.Grace Wolstenholme, a 22-year-old online content creator with cerebral palsy, had her own death faked on TikTok. In May, one of her videos was re-used without her consent in a gruesome 'death hoax'. Clare discusses with journalist Elliot Deady from BBC Essex, who has been following the story, and we hear from Grace herself about the deep impact this incident has had on her.Sara Pascoe is a comedian, and her children don’t sleep, her kitchen won’t clean itself and her husband “doesn’t want to be in it”. Sara’s new show - I am a Strange Gloop – is on a UK tour. She stumbles stunned to the stage from the soft play area, with battle-hardened tales to tell on the front line of motherhood.Presented by Clare McDonnell Producer: Louise Corley