Woman's Hour

• Dads and working flexibly, Baroness Margaret Thatcher centenary, Diane Keaton legacy

  Half of working dads feel nervous asking for time off to care for their children, more than 20% have been asked ‘where’s your wife/partner?’ when requesting flexibility and 44% say employers treat mothers more favourably in terms of flexible working. These are the findings of a new study ‘Barriers to Equal Parenting’ by the charity Working Families. Nuala McGovern is joined by Elliott Rae founder of Parenting Out Loud and Penny East, chief executive of the Fawcett Society.In 2012, Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman and mother, was found dead in a septic tank near a British army base in central Kenya. More than a decade later, no one has been charged with her killing. Last month, a Kenyan High Court issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of her murder. We hear from Agnes’ niece, Esther who is here in London today meeting with the Ministry of Defence calling for answers and for someone to be held responsible. Today would have been Baroness Margaret Thatcher’s 100th birthday. Britain's Prime Minister for almost 12 years, she was the first woman ever to hold that position. Adored and revered by many, grudgingly respected by others, reviled by some on the left & criticised by feminists for doing little for women, can her legacy be clearly defined? To discuss Nuala is joined by Baroness Gillian Shephard who served in the ‘Iron Lady’s’ first government and Sarah Childs, Professor of Gender and Politics at the University of Edinburgh.Over the weekend, we heard that the Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton died at the age of 79. Bette Midler called her "brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary", Goldie Hawn said "You never liked praise, so humble, but now you can’t tell me to ‘shut up’ honey. There was, and will be, no one like you.” They were two of her co-stars in the huge 1996 film the First Wives Club.... but Diane Keaton made her name decades before in American film classics such as Annie Hall, The Godfather, Reds. Victoria Moss, freelance fashion and lifestyle journalist and Leila Latif, film critic, discuss her impact.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

  --------  

  54:14

  --------

  54:14
• Weekend Woman's Hour: Sally Wainwright, Kellie Bright, AI girlfriends, lessons from the Pelicot trial

  100m sprinter Bebe Jackson, 19, won a bronze medal on her debut at the IPC World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi, India, last week. Bebe was born with congenital talipes equinovarus, widely known as club foot, and when she’s not competing for Britain, she works nights caring for children with complex disabilities. She tells Anita Rani how she does it.In Sally Wainwright’s new BBC drama Riot Women, a group of women in mid-life escape the pressures of caring for parents and kids - and the menopause - by forming a rock band. Rosalie Craig stars as the incredible singer that brings them together. Anita Rani talks to Sally and actor Rosalie about the power of female friendship.Nuala McGovern talks to the French philosopher Manon Garcia. Manon watched the court proceedings of the Pelicot case in France, in which Dominique Pelicot and 46 other men were found guilty of the rape of Dominique’s wife Gisèle. In her book Living with Men, she examines French and other societies in light of the case and questions what more needs to be done.When you think about music from 500 years ago, you might picture monks chanting, or the voices of choirboys, but what’s been largely forgotten over the course of history is that some of the most striking music during this time was being written and sung by nuns, hidden away in convents across Europe. Nuala speaks to Laurie Stras, Director of Musica Secreta, an all-female renaissance ensemble.Elon Musk's Artificial Intelligence company xAI recently introduced two sexually explicit chatbots. He's a high-profile presence in a growing field where developers are banking on users interacting and forming intimate relationships with the AI chatbots. Nuala McGovern speaks to journalist Amelia Gentleman, who has just returned from an adult industry conference in Prague, where she saw a sharp rise in new websites offering an increasingly realistic selection of AI girlfriends, and Gina Neff, Professor of Responsible AI at the Queen Mary University of London, who tells us what this means for women.EastEnders actor Kellie Bright took part in a Woman’s Hour special last year which asked whether the SEND system is working for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Tonight Kellie presents a special one-hour BBC Panorama. Drawing on her own experience as the mother of an autistic son, she investigates how parents navigate the complex system to secure the right help at school. Kellie joins Nuala McGovern to talk about what she found.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Simon Richardson

  --------  

  56:43

  --------

  56:43
• Pelicot trial, Lucy Guo, Bebe Jackson, Travel writing

  A court in southern France has increased the jail term of the only man who challenged his conviction for raping Gisèle Pelicot. Gisèle was drugged by her then-husband Dominique for over a decade and raped by dozens of men he recruited on the internet. Of the 51 men convicted of abusing Gisèle, 44-year-old Husamettin Dogan was the only one who appealed against his verdict. Anita Rani speaks to Angelique Chrisafis, Paris Correspondent for the Guardian, who was in the court at Nîmes.In June this year, Lucy Guo, a 30-year-old American tech entrepreneur, became the youngest self-made female billionaire, according to Forbes. With a reported net worth of almost $1.3 billion, she overtook Taylor Swift to land at number 26 on Forbes’ annual ‘America’s richest self-made women’ list. Anita spoke to Lucy from her home in Los Angeles.100m sprinter Bebe Jackson, 19, won a bronze medal on her debut at the IPC World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi, India, last week. Bebe was born with congenital talipes equinovarus, widely known as club foot, and when she’s not competing for Britain, she works nights caring for children with complex disabilities. She tells Anita how she does it.What’s it like to be a female travel writer today? Some writers would argue it’s now all about the smartphone and hashtags. But the new Ilse Schwepcke Prize, named after the pioneering German publisher who championed female travel writers, is pushing back and celebrating reflective travel writing by women. Journalist and writer Viv Groskop, shortlisted for her memoir, One Ukrainian Summer, and Dr Barbara Schwepcke, daughter of Ilse and founder of Haus publishing, join Anita to discuss the history of travel writing by women and how it’s changing. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

  --------  

  54:23

  --------

  54:23
• Tanita Tikaram, Sally Wainwright, Nature and kids with SEND

  NB: The music in this broadcast has been removed from this podcast for rights reasons.In Sally Wainwright’s new BBC drama Riot Women, a group of women in mid-life escape the pressures of caring for parents and kids - and the menopause - by forming a rock band. Rosalie Craig stars as the incredible singer that brings them together. Anita Rani talks to Sally and actor Rosalie about the power of female friendship. The ongoing Covid-19 inquiry is currently looking into the impact of the pandemic on children and young people, from education, health to social wellbeing. Alison Morton, the CEO of the Institute of Health Visitors, told the inquiry this week that the NHS's decision to redeploy health visitors meant that 'children were harmed' and there were 'life-ending consequences.' The BBC's Education Reporter Vanessa Clarke has been following the inquiry and joins Anita to talk about the latest news.As part of the BBC’s Nature Week, we’re encouraging you to get outside and connect with nature. Writer, advocate and skilled bike mechanic Vicky Balfour talks to Anita about how nature has become both a sanctuary and a source of strength for her as a parent of children with SEND. She describes how short moments outdoors can have a profound impact on mental and physical wellbeing, providing sensory regulation, confidence-building and resilience. Vicky also sheds light on the barriers SEND families face in accessing nature and calls for a more inclusive outdoor culture.Singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram shot to fame in the late 1980s aged just 18 with her debut album Ancient Heart, which sold millions and featured iconic hits such as Twist in My Sobriety, (World Outside My Window) and Good Tradition. 37-years later, Tanika considers her latest album LIAR (Love Isn’t A Right), a sequel to the one that made her a household name. She talks to Anita about making this tenth album which revisits themes of identity and belonging.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt

  --------  

  50:40

  --------

  50:40
• Kemi Badenoch's leadership, Manon Garcia on Gisele Pelicot, Joy Gregory

  As Kemi Badenoch prepares to address Conservative Party conference for the second time this week, Nuala McGovern reflects on her first year as leader of the party and Leader of the Opposition, with BBC political correspondent Georgia Roberts and Conservative peer Baroness Kate Fall.The People's Tribunal for Women in Afghanistan is convening in Madrid this week to investigate Taliban crimes against women. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghan women and girls have endured a significant rollback of their fundamental human rights. What will this tribunal - which has no legal authority - achieve for them? We hear from Shaharzad Akbar, former head of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, and Director of Rawadari, one of the organisations behind the Tribunal. Nuala talks to the French philosopher Manon Garcia.  Manon watched the court proceedings of the Pelicot case in France, in which Dominique Pelicot and 46 other men were found guilty of the rape of Dominique’s wife Gisèle. In her book Living with Men, she examines French and other societies in light of the case and questions what more needs to be done.The visual artist Joy Gregory's retrospective exhibition Catching Flies with Honey opens at the Whitechapel Gallery today. As an artist Joy explores identity, history, race, gender and societal ideals of beauty all while pushing the possibilities of photography and other media. She discusses her life and work.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

  --------  

  54:23

  --------

  54:23

More Society & Culture podcasts

Trending Society & Culture podcasts

About Woman's Hour

Woman's Hour: Podcasts in Family