Woman's Hour

• Weekend Woman's Hour: Being fired, Boxer Francesca Hennessy, Women in Camps

  Former US magazine editors-in-chief Laura Brown and Kristina O'Neill were both ‘let go’ from their respective jobs. They felt blindsided, devastated and temporarily lost their identities - until, united, they learnt how to make a comeback. They joined Nuala McGovern to share their experiences as set out in their new book, All the Cool Girls Get Fired, about how they let go of the shame of ‘being fired’, a term they like to use, and how a career setback can become the best thing ever.Suzanne Edwards is currently taking part in ground-breaking medical trials that involve her learning how to move her legs using neural implants. Suzanne has been a sportswoman for decades, both before and since a life-changing accident 14 years ago, and she explains to Anita Rani how this training has informed her approach to taking part in medical research.Back in 1995 a call went out looking for women to take part in a landmark scientific study exploring the links between what we eat and our health. Thirty-five thousand middle-aged women signed up to be part of the UK Women’s Cohort Study. It went on to look at the impact our diet can have on our risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases, as well as other areas of women’s health from our bones to the menopause. Professor Janet Cade from the University of Leeds joined Nuala to discuss what it was like launching the study 30 years ago and some of its key takeaways for women.The Independent Commission on UK Counterterrorism has just published its report after three years. A long and detailed report, it estimates there are up to 70 UK-linked individuals, mostly women and children—most under 10 years old—believed to still be in camps or other detention centres in Iraq and Syria. Professor of Religion, Gender and Global Security, Katherine Brown, is one of the 14 commissioners. She explains why the women and children remaining in these camps is "unsustainable" and why an organised programme of return, rehabilitation, and integration is, they believe, the best long-term option for managing the risk to public safety. They are joined by Frank Gardner, the BBC's Security Correspondent.Francesca Hennessy is the 21-year-old shaking up women’s boxing. Nicknamed the 'Billion Dollar Baby', she’s unbeaten in her first six professional fights and will be fighting on the bill when boxing returns to BBC primetime TV, free-to-air on a Saturday night for the first time in 20 years later this month. She’ll face former world champion Fabiana Bytyqi, marking the biggest test of her career. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

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• Covid Inquiry, Poet Andrea Gibson remembered, Supporting survivors of violence

  The Covid Inquiry led by Baroness Hallett has concluded that the UK did too little too late in response to Covid-19, that the lockdown could have been avoided if steps such as social distancing and isolating had been introduced earlier. Joining Anita Rani to give their response to the findings and tell their stories of that time, are musical theatre actor Ruthie Henshall, whose mother died in a care home during Covid and Naomi Fulop, from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, who also lost her mother during this time. Another chance to hear a shortened version of an interview Anita recorded last month with Melinda French Gates, the most well known and powerful woman in philanthropy. In 2000, Melinda co-founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has - to date - donated over one hundred billion dollars to charitable projects. She and Bill Gates married in 1994 and divorced in 2021, after 27 years of marriage. Melinda has since left their joint enterprise and set up her own, Pivotal Ventures, which has one purpose: to put power into the hands of women. In a new report 'Care, courage, change,' the World Health Organisation has conducted analysis of the various health and support policies for survivors of violence in the 53 countries of the WHO European Region. The report reveals that almost one in three women and girls aged 15-years and older, will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime - but countries' health sectors are failing nearly one in three survivors. Anita Rani talks to Melanie Hyde, WHO Europe’s Gender, Equality and Human Rights Technical Officer, author of the report.Poetry, love and an incurable cancer diagnosis are the themes of a new film looking at the relationship between the acclaimed spoken word poet and activist Andrea Gibson and their wife, writer Megan Falley. Megan joins Anita along with the documentary's producer Jessica Hargrave to talk about the film and her late wife. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt

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• Boxer Francesca Hennessy, NEETS, Painter Caroline Walker

  Francesca Hennessy is the 21-year-old shaking up women’s boxing. Nicknamed the 'Billion Dollar Baby', she’s unbeaten in her first six professional fights and will be fighting on the bill when boxing returns to BBC primetime TV, free-to-air on a Saturday night for the first time in 20 years later this month. She’ll face former world champion Fabiana Bytyqi, marking the biggest test of her career. Francesca joins Anita Rani along with BBC Boxing reporter Kal Sajad to discuss what this means for women’s boxing. Figures just released by the ONS show the number of NEETS - young people 'not in education, employment or training' - remains at a concerning level. In next week's Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to give more details on how the Government is planning to tackle these rising numbers. Historically, more women than men have been NEET, but in recent years that trend has reversed, with young men more likely than young women to be NEET. But with one in eight people aged 16 to 24 in the UK now believed to be NEET, what does it mean to be one? And what is being done to bring the number of NEETS down? To unpick this, Anita is joined by BBC's Employment Correspondent Zoe Conway.Scottish painter Caroline Walker explores the realities of motherhood in her exhibition, Mothering, at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. She began painting maternal themes after becoming a mother in 2019. Her work includes Birth Reflections paintings which depict maternity care in hospitals and the domestic scenes of early motherhood. Walker’s paintings show everyday details such as breast pumps, baby grows and unfinished drinks, highlighting the unseen labour of modern parenting. Her art has become increasingly autobiographical, featuring her children and family life in Scotland. Caroline Walker joins Anita to discuss identity shifts, domestic realities, and the value of caregiving. Suzanne Edwards is currently taking part in ground-breaking medical trials that involve her learning how to move her legs using neural implants. Suzanne has been a sportswoman for decades, both before and since a life-changing accident 14 years ago, and she explains how this training has informed her approach to taking part in medical research. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

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• Saskia Reeves, Childminders, Women in Camps

  Childminders play a vital role in the early years of children’s lives, offering care, stability and a familiar face during those formative years. But their numbers are in sharp decline. Many are no longer able to offer places for three and four year olds, citing government funding pressures. Today, Ofsted have released new figures on how many childminders are leaving and joining the profession. Childminder Georgina Young joins Nuala McGovern to share her experience of the joys and challenges of childminding, and what the future might hold for the profession.Saskia Reeves is the theatre, film and TV actor known for her many roles including Katherine Standish in the hit Apple TV series Slow Horses. She’s now back at the National Theatre, in a new play, End – the last in a trilogy of plays by David Eldridge - Beginning and Middle – with Clive Owen, exploring love and relationships. Saskia joins Nuala to discuss. The Independent Commission on UK Counterterrorism has just published its report after three years. A long and detailed report, it estimates there are up to 70 UK-linked individuals, mostly women and children—most under 10 years old—believed to still be in camps or other detention centres in Iraq and Syria. Professor of Religion, Gender and Global Security, Katherine Brown, is one of the 14 commissioners. She explains why the women and children remaining in these camps is "unsustainable" and why an organised programme of return, rehabilitation, and integration is, they believe, the best long-term option for managing the risk to public safety. Frank Gardner, the BBC's Security Correspondent, joins them to discuss.Coroners’ advice and concerns on maternal deaths in England and Wales are being ignored despite them raising repeated issues, a new study has found. Dr Georgia Richards, the founder of the Preventable Deaths Tracker at Kings College London who is on the line from New Zealand, discusses the findings.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

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• The pension gap, Rape trial delays, Author Harriet Lane

  Over a third of women could face poverty in retirement due to a growing gender gap in private pensions, according to a report from Scottish Widows, with women's finances being hit by caring responsibilities and career gaps. YouGov carried out the reseach for the Scottish Widows annual Women and Retirement Report, asking 4,000 women from across the UK about their pensions and retirement planning, as well as savings, investments and career breaks. Nuala McGovern talks to Lily Megson-Harvey, the Policy Director of retirement finance company My Pension Expert. A third of all rape trials in Wales and England last year were postponed at least once, often on the day of trial, according to a new report published by the charity Rape Crisis England and Wales. Ten years ago in 2015 the figure was one in 10. Their report, Living in Limbo, finds rape and sexual abuse survivors are being retraumatised by the criminal justice system. Nuala is joined by Maxime Rowson, the charity's Head of Policy and Public Affairs. Back in 1995 a call went out looking for women to take part in a landmark scientific study exploring the links between what we eat and our health. Thirty-five thousand middle-aged women signed up to be part of the UK Women’s Cohort Study. It went on to look at the impact our diet can have on our risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases, as well as other areas of women’s health from our bones to the menopause. Professor Janet Cade from the University of Leeds joins Nuala to discuss what it was like launching the study 30 years ago and some of its key takeaways for women. Families are calling for a change in the law after they say their babies' dead bodies were kept inappropriately at a funeral director's home. The case highlights a lack of regulation in funeral services in England and Wales. Nuala speaks to Zoe Ward, one of the parents affected, who recently met with Victims Minister Alex Davies Jones to call for new laws, and to Zoe’s MP, Mark Sewards. Harriet Lane’s new novel, Other People’s Fun, explores modern life and the lies we tell others – and ourselves – on social media. It follows an unlikely and uneasy friendship between the unnoticed Ruth and the Instagrammable Sookie. Harriet joins Nuala in the studio to discuss why female friendships and ‘everyday horror’ has always intrigued her. Presented by: Nuala McGovern Produced by: Sarah Jane Griffiths

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