Woman's Hour Folgen

A world-record breaking swimmer has told the BBC she was left 'broken' by the training regime of one of the UK’s most successful swimming coaches. Rūta Meilutytė - who won gold at the London 2012 Olympics at the age of 15 – said coach Jon Rudd’s focus on her weight and diet contributed to her struggle with an eating disorder. Mr Rudd, who has faced multiple allegations of bullying and verbal abuse of teenage swimmers, has not responded to the BBC. Panorama's Rebecca Woods joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her investigation, The Dark Side of Swimming Clubs, which raises wider questions about an alleged toxic culture for young swimmers in the UK. Woman's Hour is hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. Today Nuala speaks to Kate Barker, CEO of LGB Alliance. They were part of a coalition along with Scottish Lesbians and the Lesbian Project, that intervened in the case. Today the BBC launches the Women’s Summer of Sport, marking the start of a bumper summer of coverage including the Euros, the Rugby World Cup and Queen’s tennis tournament. The Welsh women’s football team have been called 'history makers' after qualifying for the European Championship for the first time. Three of the players, Josie Green, Lily Woodham and Elise Hughes, tell us what this means for them and how they are preparing for their debut tournament. The author Emma Stonex joins Nuala to talk about her new suspense novel The Sunshine Man. Set it 1989, it tells the story of Birdie, set on taking revenge on the man who she believes murdered her sister. Emma tells us how she approached writing the book, and touches on some of its themes, including the bonds between sisters and parental abandonment. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Tonight sees the 70th Ivor Novello awards taking place at Grosvenor House in London.  They are coveted in the UK music industry because they specifically celebrate songwriting. Singer-songwriter Lola Young leads the nominations this year including one for 'best song musically and lyrically' for her breakthrough hit Messy, which spent a month at number one in the UK earlier this year.  Does this spell good news for women in the music industry? Anita Rani is joined by Linda Coogan-Byrne to discuss. If you've ever had the bad luck of getting a UTI - or Urinary Tract Infection - you'll know how painful they can be. It's a bacterial infection which can affect the bladder, urethra or kidneys and give a burning or stinging sensation when you urinate. Yesterday, in a powerful parliamentary session, the Labour MP Allison Gardner spoke through tears as she described her experiences of chronic UTIs. The MP for Stoke on Trent is now hoping to launch a cross-party parliamentary group to look at chronic UTIs - Allison joins Anita, as does the GP Ellie Cannon. A major new exhibition opens this week at The Imperial War Museum in London. Called Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict, it looks at the atrocities inflicted during war and conflict from the First World War until the present day. Helen Upcraft is the exhibition’s lead curator and Sara Bowcutt is the Managing Director of Women for Women International, one of the NGOs working in the field of sexual violence in conflict, who’ve also contributed to this exhibition. They join Anita in the studio.Women and listening... how do women listen? How good a listener are you? Two books out this month focus on listening, from listening to sounds to listening more deeply to other people. Anita speaks to writers Alice Vincent, and Emily Kasriel.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

In the last of our interviews about the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, Nuala McGovern speaks to Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. As the body responsible for enforcing the Act, the EHRC gave evidence in the Supreme Court case. In the first BBC interview since launching a consultation on updating their Code of Practice in light of the judgment, Baroness Falkner explains who they want to hear from and why.Five years after the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, a new BBC documentary is reflecting on the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that followed, including in the UK. Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd tells the story through the eyes of some of those who found themselves on the frontline during the spring and summer of 2020, including Khady Gueye, who made headlines after a local protest she planned in the Forest of Dean was initially cancelled. She joins Nuala, along with author, producer and speaker Nova Reid, to reflect on the impact the events of that time have had on their lives, and what has changed since then. Nuala is also joined by Sarah Pochin, the first female MP for the Reform UK Party. The Runcorn and Helsby by-election was won by just six votes - the closest result in modern history. A former Conservative Councillor and mayor for Cheshire East, Sarah was a magistrate for 20 years. During her maiden speech she focussed on immigration, the cost of living and sexual violence against women.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Andrea Kidd