The Women's Podcast

Ten of Ireland's leading theatres, drama festivals and theatre companies have agreed to a range of gender equality policies, which in some cases will see “gender-blind casting” or ensuring that half of new shows will be written by women. The gender equality policy for the theatre sector, launched by Minister for Culture Josepha Madigan, arose from the Waking the Feminists campaign to address the under-representation of women, including writers and directors, in Irish theatre. Roísín Ingle talks to academic Dr Brenda Donohue, who has produced a study on the subject, & Lynne Parker, director and co-founder of Rough Magic theatre company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Margaret Atwood's adventurous canoe trip in the Canadian Wilderness, to Alison Spittle's irate naked granny, to Lisa Dwan's near-death brush with a barracuda, here are some memorable summer holiday stories from friends of the podcast. Hats off to Joya and Priya Hobson who were put to work by their mother Róisín Ingle at the Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas, to gather these stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sexism has been a bigger problem than racism at the World Cup in Russia, according to anti-discrimination experts advising FIFA. There have been reports of fans harassing female broadcasters while they worked and the head of FIFA’s diversity program says they want less focus on attractive women in stadiums in TV broadcasts. Female pundits have been more plentiful for this tournament, but there is still some distance to go before women football analysts are taken as seriously as their male counterparts. RTÉ sports presenter Jacqui Hurley, Irish International footballer and RTÉ pundit for the World Cup, Stephanie Roche and Margaret Ward, a journalist and founder of Women On Air, speak to Bernice Harrison about what needs to be done if there's to be any chance of leveling the playing field. Later in the show: Beck Dorey-Stein has written a memoir called From the Corner of the Oval Office, an account of her five years as President Barack Obama's stenographer. She talks to Bernice about working at the White House. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gone are the days when online dating was viewed with judgement or derision. Now, it's where hot young things seek out consensual one-night stands, where long term couples meet and where 50-something widows find "the most gorgeous man" they've ever seen, like Irish Times writer Joan Scales did. On today's podcast, she talks to presenter Bernice Harrison and Irish Times agony aunt Roe McDermott about her experience with Tinder. In the second part of the show, British journalist and author Emma Brockes speaks about her book, An Excellent Choice, which tells the story of her path to motherhood at 37, single and in the beginnings of a same-sex relationship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode was recorded in front an audience on the Woodlands Stage at the Body & Soul festival last weekend. The topic was Ireland after the #8thRef and how we got here. The guests: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Ailbhe Smyth, co-director of the Together for Yes campaign, founder of the Repeal Project, Anna Cosgrave and Claudia Horeau from Migrants and Ethnicities for Reproductive Justice. Up and coming alt-rock Limerick band Pow Pig performed live at the event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently, Irish Times Social Affairs Correspondent Kitty Holland wrote about the increase in the number of young women taking their own lives in some of the poorest parts of Dublin. On today's podcast, she speaks to Kathy Sheridan about this story. Also on the show, Professor Veronica O'Keane, consultant psychiatrist at Tallaght Hospital, speaks about her initial shock at the figures and the factors that contribute to feelings of despair and loneliness among these women.f you are affected by any issue in this podcast, please contact Pieta House on 1800-247247 or the Samaritans by telephoning 116 123 (free) or by emailing jo@samaritans.ie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Mulholland, director of the MacGill Summer School, has apologised for the lack of gender balance on its 2018 and promised there will now be panels on the #8thRef and gender balance. A draft programme of the event shows there are 45 male speakers and moderators compared to 15 female speakers and moderators. Women's Podcast co-producer Róisín Ingle and Irish Times feature writer Deirdre Falvey join Kathy Sheridan to share their views on the controversy. They're joined on the line by Ben Tonra of UCD, who was one of the speakers lined up for MacGill but announced that he wouldn't be appearing unless they fixed it. He talks to Kathy Sheridan about why it’s important men step up and speak out about the “manel” culture. In the second part of the show, street performance artists Kate MIor and Sara Schmidt about the Laya Healthcare City Spectacular in Dublin's Merrion Square & Cork's Fitzgerald Park this July. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A two part documentary charting the lives of Irish women over the last century begins on RTÉ One on Tuesday (19 June) at 9.35pm. 'No Country For Women' travels through time, seeking historical answers in the journeys of a number of Irish women today, women whose lives and those of their mothers and grandmothers collided with discriminatory legislation. With contributions from the likes of former president Mary Robinson, journalist Justine McCarthy and trade union activist Mags O’Brien, this documentary pores over the history of women in Ireland, examining the long-term legacy of a century of government, legal and religious control over women’s lives. In this podcast, producer Anne Roper and historian Dr Mary McAuliffe, who acted as consultant and contributor to the documentary, speak to Bernice Harrison about No Country For Women, the process of making it and what they hope it will achieve. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imogen Heap is an Grammy-winning songwriter and performer, who has worked with everyone from Taylor Swift to Jeff Beck. An early adopter of technology in her art, Heap has been involved in designing and producing musical gloves called MiMu. This week she was in Dublin to talk about her latest venture, the Creative Passport, at a spin-off of the Web Summit, MoneyConf. Heap came into studio while she was here and spoke to Róisín Ingle all about her innovations, her early life and some of the hard lessons she has had to learn in her career. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meg Wolitzer is the New York Times–bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including The Interestings, The Uncoupling and The Wife. One of her first books, This Is Your Life, was made into a film and became the directorial debut of the late great Nora Ephron. On today's episode, Wolitzer speaks to Jennifer Ryan about her 12th novel, The Female Persuasion, which explores inter-generational feminism, female sexuality and touches on timely themes around the MeToo movement. She also talks about female mentors and her friendship with Nora Ephron, how men and women are treated in the publishing industry, and Nicole Kidman's plans to bring The Female Persuasion to the big screen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.