The Conversation

For decades, the world of driving instructors was largely male dominated. Up until recently not every woman even had the right to drive - that only changed in 2018 when Saudi Arabia lifted their ban on female drivers. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two instructors to find out what it takes to teach this skill. Aman Sanghera, a London-based driving instructor, turned to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep teaching and share practical driving tips on her YouTube channel, Clearview Driving. Her videos quickly went viral, amassing nearly a billion views. Haru Hasegawa was a secondary school teacher in the Philippines but, since moving to Japan, now helps foreigners navigate the challenges of learning to drive in Tokyo at EDS Driving School. She made the career switch after her own Japanese driving instructor suggested it as a perfect fit.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Aman Sanghera courtesy of Aman Sanghera. (R) Haru Hasegawa courtesy of Haru Hasegawa.)

Glaciers have shaped the world's landscapes and continue to affect earth's climate just as human caused climate change impacts them. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women dedicating their lives to the study of these giant ice structures. Jemma Wadham is a glacier biogeochemist and writer whose research has taken her to glaciers in Greenland, Antarctica, Svalbard, Chilean Patagonia, the Peruvian Andes and the Himalaya. She’s particularly interested in glacier-hosted life and the impacts of glaciers on the global carbon cycle. She’s won several awards for her academic work. Her book Ice Rivers is for a wider audience. She works at the University of Bristol and the Arctic University of Norway.Heidi Sevestre is a French scientist who's studied glaciers around the world, from the French Alps to Greenland, from the Arctic to Antarctica. She’s part of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and also works on a project looking at the last glaciers of Africa, found in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, in Uganda. She is passionate about communicating the wonders of the cryosphere and the threats targeting it.Producer: Jane Thurlow(Image: Heidi Sevestre (L) , Credit Mael Sevestre. (R) Jemma Wadham. Credit T Bruckner)

Women’s magazines collectively reach millions of readers each month. Beyond their influence in fashion, these publications are pivotal in addressing critical women's issues and advocating for empowerment. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two magazine editors to explore their approaches to staying relevant in an ever-evolving media landscape.Grace O'Neill began her career at ELLE Australia as an intern and is now the Editor of the magazine. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, The New York Times' T Magazine and British Vogue.Iveta Dzērve is the Editor-in-Chief at SANTA, Latvia's leading lifestyle magazine. She has two decades of experience in medical, healthcare and lifestyle journalism.Produced by Emily Naylor and Elena Angelides for the BBC World Service.(Image: (L) Iveta Dzērve, credit Karlina Vitolina. (R) Grace O'Neill, credit Gabby Laurent.)

The bra industry is worth billions of dollars a year, yet designs haven't changed a lot since the modern bra came into common use in the early 20th century. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to a sports bra designer from Wales and a breast cancer survivor in the US about their innovative new designs.After a diagnosis of breast cancer in her late 20’s, Dana Donofree took her own experience of struggling to find a bra that was comfortable and pretty to found her own company, AnaOno. With a background in fashion design and talking to many women in the breast cancer community she's (re)designing intimates for those that have undergone surgery.Mari Thomas-Welland used to work as a sports bra performance tester, testing the performance of sports bras for some of the biggest brands under laboratory conditions. After realising that, despite her job, she still couldn't find her perfect sports bra she decided to design her own and founded her company, Maaree. They're now the official bra supplier to the Welsh rugby team.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Dana Donofree credit AnaOno LCC. (R) Mari Thomas-Welland credit Mari Thomas-Welland.)

Niamh Ní Chróinín, a children's TV presenter from Cúla4, promotes Irish culture and language. Shudufhadzo Mathagwa, a South African presenter and advocate for youth empowerment, shares her insights from Play Room. They reveal behind-the-scenes chaos and funny moments in children's TV. The duo discusses their passion for engaging kids through innovative programming and the evolving landscape of children's media. They reflect on the emotional connections with young audiences and the responsibility of being role models in their lives.

Commercial divers from Canada and Australia share their experiences of working in a dangerous, male-dominated field with Datshiane Navanayagam.Sarah Anvari from Canada is a Dive Supervisor and Welder-Diver at Subsea Global Solutions in Vancouver. She specializes in ship husbandry commercial diving, providing services for commercial shipping, cruise lines, offshore projects, and marine construction.Tiff Allen from Australia is a highly skilled saturation diver. She has extensive experience in deep-sea commercial diving, performing complex underwater tasks and ensuring safety on offshore projects.Produced by Emily Naylor for the BBC World Service.(Image: (L) Tiff Allen courtesy of Tiff Allen. (R) Sarah Anvari courtesy of Sarah Anvari.)

Traditionally women often take on much of the responsibility for practical and emotional support for a family as well as passing on family knowledge and traditions. But is the role still relevant? Datshiane Navanayagam talks to women from Canada and the UK about being a modern matriarch.All her life, Helen Knott has looked to the strong women in her indigenous community for guidance, absorbed their stories and admired their independence. When her mother and grandmother died she tried to step into the roles they'd held in community. Her book Becoming a Matriarch is a love letter to the eldest daughters of families who often carry invisible responsibilities.Tanika Gupta is an award-winning playwright British playwright whose work celebrates her Bengali culture and often challenges gender and race stereotypes. She has worked across theatre, television, radio and film. Her latest play A Tupperware Of Ashes is about a restaurateur with dementia and the impact on her three children of looking after her. Tanika wrote the play after her own mother died from cancer. It will be screened internationally by the National Theatre later this year. Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Tanika Gupta credit Oscar May. (R) Helen Knott courtesy Duckworth Books.)

Musicians from China and Syria tell Datshiane Navanayagam about taking up traditional instruments and introducing them to western audiences.Wu Man is one of the world's foremost players of the pipa: a four-stringed Chinese lute which dates back 2000 years. She's also a composer and passionate advocate for Chinese traditional music.Maya Youssef from Syria is hailed as ‘queen of the qanun,’ the 78-stringed Middle Eastern plucked zither. Her award-winning intense and thoughtful music performances are rooted in the Arabic classical tradition but forge pathways into jazz, Western classical and Latin styles.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Maya Youssef credit Igor Studio. (R) Wu Man credit Call the Shots Photography.)

Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women from Costa Rica and Switzerland about how animal behaviour is studied and what it reveals about life on our planet. Marta Manser from Switzerland is a Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Zurich. She is the project director of the Kalahari Meerkat Project and has studied the species for nearly thirty years. Marta’s work has significantly improved our understanding of meerkat social structures, vocal communication, and group coordination. Dr Gloriana Chaverri is an Associate Professor at the University of Costa Rica and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. She began her work with bats by investigating their mating systems and social organization. Recently she has been focusing on bat vocal communication.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Marta Manser courtesy of Marta Manser. (R) Gloriana Chaverri courtesy of Gloriana Chaverri.)

Music therapists from Spain and the UK tell Datshiane Navanayagam about the role music can have reducing isolation and easing some symptoms of dementia.Professor Melissa Mercadal-Brotons teaches music therapy at Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. She was president of the World Federation of Music Therapy and her clinical and research work focuses on the impact of music on people with dementia. Amina Hussain is Manchester Camerata’s principal flute and resident music therapist. She runs sessions with groups of people with dementia that revolve around improvisation where everyone has an instrument that’s easy to play. She says the alleviation of symptoms like anxiety, isolation and confidence are wonderful to see.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Amina Hussain. Credit: Amina Hussain. (R) Melissa Mercadal-Brotons. Credit: Melissa Mercadal-Brotons.)