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5 of 1985

Endometriosis pill, Bollywood star Radhika Apte, Ramadan health
The first daily pill for treating endometriosis symptoms has been approved for use on the NHS in England - but only for patients who have tried all other options. Endometriosis affects 1.5 million women in the UK. Kylie Pentelow is joined by Emma Cox, Chief Executive of Endometriosis UK, and Emma Collier, who was diagnosed with endometriosis aged 18, to discuss what this could mean for women.Sister Midnight is a new, Bafta-nominated, Hindi-language film that looks at what it's like to be a misfit. This dark comedy follows an oddball couple thrown into a newly arranged marriage in a small Mumbai shack. Indian actor and Bollywood star, Radhika Apte plays Uma, one half of the couple, who does her best to cope with her new role as a housewife in the heat of Mumbai. Radhika joins Kylie in the Woman's Hour studio.The holy month of Ramadan is underway, which means millions of Muslims around the world are fasting, no food or drink from dawn until dusk - not even water. At the end of each day, friends and families celebrate the breaking of the fast with a meal together. But for those with current, or past eating disorders, this period of fasting can bring challenges. So, how can they be best supported during Ramadan? Kylie talks to fitness trainer Nazia Khatun, who has struggled with anorexia and bulimia in the past, and counselling psychologist, Dr Omara Naseem, who specialises in eating disorders.Journalist and broadcaster Julia Raeside has just published her debut novel, Don't Make Me Laugh. Looking at the world of stand-up comedy often dominated by men - it's described as celebrating women who speak truth to power, find solidarity with each other and then decide to fight back. Julia explains to Kylie why she chose to focus on the world of comedy for her first foray into fiction.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Melanie Abbott
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56:31
Employment Rights Bill, SEND, Neath RFC tweet, Spitfire Girls
The government has said it supports bereavement leave for couples who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks gestation. Business Minister Justin Madders told MPs he "fully accepts" the principle of bereavement leave for pregnancy loss and promised to look at adding the right to the Employment Rights Bill. Nuala discusses the issues with national baby loss campaigner and founder of George’s Law Keeley Lengthorn and the BBC's Employment Correspondent Zoe Conway.A couple of days ago the owner of a Welsh Rugby club put up a social media post to promote an upcoming match against a local rival. He hoped a few thousand people would maybe ‘like’ it and ‘share’ it and some would come along to watch the match. What he didn’t expect was that the post would get more than a quarter of a million views, generate outrage and condemnation and become national news. Accompanying the text was an image of rugby players, with the words, ‘Not For Girls’ stamped across the top. Nuala discusses the idea behind the tweet and the reaction with Matthew Young from Neath Rugby Football Club and the sports broadcaster, Stella Mills, one of the first people to see the post and comment. Yesterday the Education Committee heard evidence from professional membership organisations, charities and young people with lived experience of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, as part of its inquiry into solving the SEND crisis. One teenager invited to address the committee was 17-year-old Katie. Katie is autistic and was a member of the panel for Woman’s Hour’s SEND: Mums Bridging the Gap programme that was broadcast in September 2024. Katie, her mother Ruth Nellist and Helen Hayes MP, Chair of the SEND Education Committee all join Nuala to discuss the committee’s work so far and the importance of the cross-party MPs who make up the committee hearing the experiences of children and young people with SEND.Have you heard of the ‘Attagirls’? They were pioneering women pilots who flew RAF planes throughout the country during World War Two, and achieved equal pay in 1943, but their work as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary has often been overlooked. A new play ‘Spitfire Girls’ is inspired by the true stories of these women. Nuala speaks to cast members Katherine Senior and Laura Matthews to find out more about what it was like for women pilots and why it’s important to celebrate their stories.Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley
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57:10
Businesswoman Sara Davies, Holiday without kids, Restless Leg Syndrome
Do you have a business idea that you would realise, if only you had the time? Sara Davies firmly believes we’re all capable of creating a successful business from scratch, in just six minutes a week. The Dragon’s Den star set up Crafter's Companion while she was still a student and has since built it into a multi-million pound business. Now she’s sharing what she’s learned in her new book – The Six Minute Entrepreneur: 52 short lessons for long-term business success.Frankie Bridge has hit out at ‘double standards’ for women after she received a backlash online for going on holiday without her children. The Loose Women presenter was called ‘the worst wife and mother’ in comments on her social media post, after she took a break with her friend following health struggles. Her husband and mother were looking after her two sons. She joins Nuala, along with parenting coach Camilla McGill. Women prescribed drugs for movement disorders such as Restless Leg Syndrome are not being warned by doctors about serious side effects which have turned them into sex and gambling addicts – according to a BBC investigation. These women say these drugs were so powerful that they changed their behaviour entirely and ruined their lives. BBC News Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge joins Nuala, along with a woman we are calling Lucy who developed three serious addictions while on the drugs, and professor of neuropsychiatry at Cambridge University, Valerie Voon.Hilary Brown was ABC News’s first female foreign correspondent. She was one of the first women to be posted to war zones at a time where many women were just entering the workplace for the first time. Nuala talks to her about her life and career. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce
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57:16
Toxic Town, Women in counter terrorism policing, Climbing Everest
It's been reported that more than 1,000 Syrians have been killed in the past few days in clashes between security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, and revenge killings that followed. Syria's interim leader has appealed for unity, and hundreds of people have reportedly fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus - strongholds of Assad support. Witnesses have described scenes of looting and mass killings, including of women and children. Nuala McGovern is joined by the BBC’s Middle East Correspondent Lina Sinjab in Damascus.Inside Counter Terrorism Policing is a new podcast featuring five women working in a range of roles across the UK who have shared their story with the aim of inspiring others to consider a career in national security and policing. We hear from Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing for the UK, and an officer we are calling ‘Emma’, who will explain the challenges of her role as a handler of covert sources.If you've been to Dublin - you might have across the statue to Molly Malone, the very famous Dubliner. You might know the song Cockles and Mussels, which commemorates her. Busker Tilly Cripwell has been campaigning for her to be treated with more respect and to be elevated to stop passers by from groping her breasts - for 'good luck' - a 'tradition' for some.In 1975, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, battling through avalanches, altitude sickness and the changing elements. Since then, over 800 women have climbed Everest, yet they still only make up an estimated 12% of all climbers to tackle the mountain. Rebecca Stephens is the first British woman to summit Everest and tells us more about Junko.Have you been watching Toxic Town? The Netflix series tells the story of a town’s toxic waste case. It follows the real-life battle of families in Corby who gave birth to children with limb differences in the 1980s and 1990s and their search for answers and justice. In 2009, after a long legal battle the High Court ruled Corby Borough Council was negligent in managing the waste. And in 2010 families affected won a financial settlement. Nuala speaks to Tracey Taylor, one of the mothers portrayed in the series, and Annabel Jones, one of the executive producers.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey
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57:09
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Twiggy, Misogyny and boys, Lucy Edwards, Segregation, Mhairi Black, Nieve Ella
Twiggy turned the modelling world upside down with her androgynous style, big round eyes, bold eyelashes, and pixie haircut, becoming a defining figure and fashion icon of the swinging 60s. Considered the world’s first supermodel, she went on to have a successful career in acting and singing, earning two Golden Globes and a Tony nomination, designed fashion ranges, appeared as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, and was awarded a damehood for services to the fashion, arts and charity. A new documentary, Twiggy, directed by Sadie Frost, is out in cinemas now. Twiggy joined Krupa Padhy to talk about her long career.Kyle Clifford was found guilty of raping his ex-girlfriend in an attack in which he murdered her, her mother and her sister. Louise, Hannah and Carol Hunt were murdered two weeks after Louise ended her relationship with him. It has been revealed that prosecutors said "violent misogyny" promoted by social media influencer Andrew Tate "fuelled" his attacks. However, the defence argued this material had too vague a link and was far too prejudicial to be heard by the jury. As we hear this news, concerns rise again about the influence of people like self-described misogynist Andrew Tate, and there are calls for his content to be taken down. Anita was joined by Michael Conroy, founder of Men at Work, which works with teachers and boys in schools to challenge sexist and misogynistic content online and Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism project who campaigns for gender equality to discuss how we can protect our children from, especially boys, from this.Journalist and disability activist Lucy Edwards has just published her debut fiction book, Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer, a mystery aimed at younger readers. It tells the story of 12-year-old Ella Jones who has been blind for two years and is navigating her new world with the help of her guide dog Maisie, her sister Poppy and her best friend Finn. She joined Krupa to talk about the book and her experiences sharing her own story online.We discuss the extraordinary story of how and why an autistic woman was locked up in a mental health hospital for 45 years. For 25 of those she was in long term segregation. Nuala McGovern talked to reporter Carolyn Atkinson about how the woman was eventually freed and to campaigner Alexis Quinn who is autistic and spent three years in a mental health hospital including time in segregation before she escaped. She now campaigns for the Restraint Reduction Network charity about the more than 2,000 other autistic people and or those with learning disabilities who are still in mental health hospitals, many of whom shouldn’t be. In May 2015, 20 year-old Mhairi Black was the youngest person for more than a century to become a Member of Parliament – and she then remained a Westminster MP until standing down at the 2024 election. A new BBC documentary follows her last six months in that role and looks at what her future could hold in a new career as a stand-up comedian. Now 30, she joined Anita Rani to reflect on her years in Parliament and what she’d like to see change about the way it functions.Nieve Ella is currently on tour, playing to packed venues and solidifying her place as a rising star in indie music. With a distinctive online presence and an ever-growing fanbase, she’s proving that Gen Z artists are reshaping the industry on their own terms. Nieve performed the track Sweet Nothings with Finn Marlow. Presenter: Anita Rani
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