Woman's Hour Folgen

Children’s author Jacqueline Wilson joins tells us about her new book Love Frankie about a teenager falling in love for the first time. Frankie lives with her two sisters and her recently divorced mum who is seriously ill with MS and is being bullied by a girl called Sally and her gang at school. But eventually the two girls strike up a friendship and as they spend more time together, Frankie starts to develop stronger feelings for Sally. Jacqueline tells Jenni why, having written over a hundred books, this is the first she has written about same sex relationships following her decision to reveal that she herself was gay earlier this year.A report by Women in Journalism shows that there is still a shocking lack of diversity among our media. The report revealed that no UK newspaper had a front page story by a Black reporter in the week studied, and out of 174 front page bylines, just two were written by BAME women. Out of a total of 723 radio reporter appearances, just 4 were by Black women and when non-white expert guests were asked to appear on radio and TV news, it was often to support coverage related to race. We discuss how this lack of diversity impacts the news that is covered and also what this means for women's careers as journalists. Campaigners affected by the state pension age being changed from 60 to 66 for women have lost their appeal against a High Court ruling. Senior judges unanimously dismissed the appeal led by Julie Delve and Karen Glynn, backed by the campaign group BackTo60. They said despite having sympathy for the women involved, it was not a case of unlawful discrimination under EU and human rights laws and that the changes were a "long-overdue move towards gender equality". Around 3.8 million women have been affected by raising the state pension age and Unison, the UK's largest trade union, said doing so with "next to no notice" has had a calamitous effect on the retirement plans of a generation of women. Jenni speaks to Joanne Welch the director of BackTo60 to find out what options are available to them now. Have you ever thought about the way that alcohol is marketed when it comes to women? Do you find it patronising or fun? A growing number of marketing companies and campaigns are using the colour pink, glitter and the slogan ‘female empowerment’ to sell alcoholic beverages. Does it work? Carol Emslie is a Professor of substance use and misuse at the School of Health and Life Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University. Kate Baily is a podcast host and the co-author of Love Yourself Sober – a self-care guide to alcohol-free living for busy mothers and Dr Athanasia Daskalopoulou is a Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Liverpool Management School.Producer: Clare Walker

Julia Gillard, once Prime Minister of Australia, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, economist and international development expert from Nigeria and also a woman with experience at the top of the Nigerian politics, have come together to explore women and leadership. They’ve written a book together and interviewed high profile global leaders who are women: women like Jacinda Ardern, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christine Lagarde and Theresa May. Saskia Reeves is best known for the films Close My Eyes and I.D. and her numerous roles in dramas like Spooks, Luther, Wallander, Page Eight and Wolf Hall. On Sunday you can watch her in the first of a four part comedy drama for BBC 1 called 'Us'. Based on the novel by David Nicholls, she is Connie who wants to end her 24 year relationship with her husband Douglas – played by Tom Hollander. But he’s meticulously planned and booked a European tour with their teenage son Albie – and so they decide to go ahead with it. Jenni talks to Saskia about how relationships change as children leave and you grow older, and the joys of filming in cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that currently affects over 130,000 people in the UK. It’s three times more common in women than in men, with many of those women being diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. It’s been known for some time that pregnancy can lessen the symptoms and reduce the chance of relapse for those who already have MS. But now a new study from Monash University in Australia shows that pregnancy can help women before symptoms begin – by delaying the onset of MS by more than three years. Lead researcher Dr Vilija Jokubaitis joins Jenni to talk about the findings and what it might mean for women at higher risk of developing the condition. Presenter: Jenni Murray Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Julia Gillard Interviewed Guest: Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Interviewed Guest: Saskia Reeves Interviewed Guest: Dr Vilija Jokubaitis

The Comedy Women in Print Prize is the only literary prize in the UK and Ireland to spotlight funny writing by women. Now in its second year, it was launched by comedian and actress Helen Lederer in response to the lack of exposure for female comedy writing. The 2020 shortlist for Published Comic Novel included the likes of Candice Carty-Williams, and Jeanette Winterson, but the winner was announced on Monday evening as Nina Stibbe for her novel Reasons to be Cheerful. We’re joined by Nina and the Chair of Judges and bestselling author Marian Keyes.A study by Imperial College London suggests that providing financial incentives for GPs to offer information about long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as the hormonal implant, is associated with an increase in their use and a reduction in the number of abortions, particularly in young women ages 20-24 and those from deprived backgrounds. The study used anonymised data from over 3 million women over a 10 year period. Jenni speaks to Professor Sonia Saxena, one of the co-authors of the research.When listener Christine was a kid she was told never to talk to neighbours or answer any of their questions and people outside the family weren’t allowed in the house. She never knew the reason why. But she has just discovered a shocking secret and now has answers. Christine spoke to reporter Jo Morris.A new series of Ambulance starts on Wednesday 16th September on BBC One. Jenni speaks to one of the people featured, an emergency medical dispatcher called Mandy Cassidy, who was motivated to work for the Ambulance Service when she lost her son. He was just 18 years old and was a victim of knife crime. He wasn’t in a gang, but simply had gone out with friends. There was an argument that night and he was stabbed.Presenter: Jenni Murray Producer: Sarah Crawley