Woman's Hour

Hormone replacement therapy may reduce the risk of dementia, a new study has found. Researchers tracked more than 180,000 postmenopausal women and their analysis suggests that those who had used HRT appeared to be less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and the greatest reduction was seen in women who had undergone surgical menopause.
Anita Rani talks to Anne-Marie Minihane, Professor of Nutrigenetics at Norwich medical school at the University of East Anglia and lead author of the study, asking her whether any conclusions can be drawn from these findings.
Five time Tony Award-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo has its European premiere this evening at the Hampstead Theatre in North London. Jeanine Tesori wrote the music for the production and joins Anita to explain why she wanted to set the original play to music and song.
The latest of our series where our academic researchers in residence talk about something that’s caught their eye this summer. Beth Malory is Associate Professor of English Linguistics and Health Communication at University College London. She’s been troubled by a phrase we’ve discussed a few times on Woman’s Hour: medical misogyny.
As the ongoing cost of living crisis keeps food bills soaring, Amy Sheppard has made it her mission to show people interesting, budget-friendly ways to cook with what they’ve got. What started as a personal challenge to feed her own family has grown into several Sunday Times bestselling cookbooks and a community of more than a million followers on Instagram. Amy joins Anita.
Cosplay, short for 'costume play', involves elaborate design with fans crafting outfits and dressing up as characters from the world of video games, comic books and films. Live from one of the world's biggest gaming conventions, Anita speaks to Rosie, aka valentinemoon, who is one of the leading cosplayers and a judge on an all-female panel for the competition, and the BBC's Laura Cress, who is attending this year.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones

People who were sexually abused as children and later seek help for mental health problems are being failed by the NHS, according to The Royal College of Psychiatrists. The RCOP has issued a public apology, saying decades of mismanagement and misdiagnosis have left many survivors without the support they need. Anita Rani is joined by Caroline Thompson, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and Dr Jo Stubley, a consultant psychiatrist and clinical lead of the Tavistock Trauma Service, who are co-authors of the RCOP's position statement.
Today in towns and cities across the country, parents are being encouraged to go on strike to raise awareness about, what the strike's organisers say are the rising costs of raising children and the impossible demands this puts on parents. Anna Whitehouse, the founder of Flex Appeal, and George Gabriel, who co-founded The Dad Shift, discuss the flexible working and parental leave policies that they are calling for with The Parent Strike and how the Government is responding.
For more than a decade, armed gangs in northern Nigeria have repeatedly targeted schools, kidnapping children for ransom and forcing some educational establishments to close. BBC journalist Yemisi Adegoke has recently returned from the state of Zamfara, where ongoing insecurity has left many girls unable to attend school, threatening their futures.
Bella Mackie's third novel, Claws Out!, is published this week. It's a witty crime caper about an ageing ‘gold-digger,’ who is rumoured to have murdered three husbands and has a new suitor in sight. Bella - whose debut How to Kill Your Family is currently being turned into a Netflix series starring Anya Taylor-Joy - tells Anita why she loves exploring the British class system in her books and why she’s determined to use her platform to talk openly about mental health.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt

Singer-songwriter, actress and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died aged 80. She was a feminist icon, although she denied the former. Known as The Queen of Country, she paved the way for many women in music. To remember her, Nuala is joined by Country singer-songwriter Kezia Gill and music journalist Jude Rogers.
The Ministry of Justice has announced the introduction of “restriction zones” for serious sexual and violent offenders that would confine them to areas just a few miles wide after leaving prison. Government ministers say the scheme is designed to give victims greater freedom but some campaigners want more detail about how they will work . To discuss further Nuala is joined by advocate on domestic abuse and stalking, Rhianon Bragg.
Broadcaster and former footballer Karen Carney OBE has been awarded the Professional Footballers' Association's merit award for her contribution to football. She joins Nuala to explain what winning the prestigious award means to her.
Currently it’s illegal to import a sex doll that looks like a child but not to manufacture, sell or own one. Munira Wilson MP explains why she wants to change the law and close a “dangerous loophole”, and Nuala also hears from Dr Alex Bailey from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation – an organisation that works to prevent child sexual abuse.
'Poetry is everywhere’ - that’s according to spoken word poet Georgie Jones. Her honest takes on the realities of womanhood, friendship, body image, love and self-doubt have struck a chord with audiences and seen her shoot to fame on social media. Georgie joins Nuala to discuss why spoken word poetry is striking such a chord with women online.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Olivia Skinner

Women who have missed a cervical screening appointment in England are to be offered HPV self-testing kits by the NHS. Over the next year, nearly four million women will receive invites on the NHS App or via text message, email or letter to order a free kit to use at home. The aim is to encourage more women to complete their potentially lifesaving screening to detect HPV, which can increase the risk of cervical cancer. Figures show that around a third of women who are eligible for cervical cancer screening have not taken up the offer recently. Dr Sue Mann, National Clinical Director for Women's Health in England and a consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health, joins Nuala McGovern to discuss.
Chef Sally Abe, who owns the restaurant The Pem, and Kayla Lawrie, a producer with social media food influencers TopJaw, have launched a map of women-owned hospitality businesses. What began with 350 restaurants, pubs, cafés and bakeries has now grown to more than 1,000 venues across the UK. They explain to Nuala what they hope to achieve.
Around 7,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, with the majority aged over 50. But around 120 of those women are between 15 and 24. Enlli Thompson was just 19 when a growth was found on one of her ovaries. Since then, she's undergone chemotherapy, egg freezing, a hysterectomy and medically induced menopause. Enlli joins Nuala, alongside GP Charlotte Badescu, who was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 when she was 31.
Stephanie Brown from the University of Hull has spent the past year as Woman's Hour's researcher in residence on the scheme that Radio 4 runs with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She studies the history of crime and, as part of our summer series exploring some of the latest research into women's lives past and present, she shares new findings about the punishment of women in medieval England.
Is your wardrobe a clutter-free haven of beautifully coordinated outfits? Or is it more a chaotic jumble of jumpers, jeans and everything in between? Could an app be the answer? Some apps allow users to catalogue what they own, visualise outfits and experiment with their style. Nuala is joined by Nicole Glennon, Deputy Editor of the Irish Examiner Weekend magazine, and Dion Terrelonge, fashion psychologist and practitioner.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Dianne McGregor

After the death of both her parents best-selling novelist Louise Doughty made a startling discovery whilst clearing out the family home. Inside a black suitcase, she stumbled upon a treasure trove of letters that revealed the origins of her parents' love affair. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her first memoir On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love described as a portrait of grief and loss and family – and a love story.
More information has been released about the crash that happened on the A66 near Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday morning - when a car travelling in the wrong direction crashed into a police vehicle, killing two officers and the 5 teenage boys in the other car. This after a similar incident last week in County Kildare in Ireland. There's a growing concern that social media trends are encouraging young people to drive dangerously and stream risk-taking videos online. We hear from Dr Paula Bradbury - who's a senior research fellow at University of East London. Paula has spent last 2 decades working in online harms, specialising in adolescent behaviour.
Skin cancer rates have been rising steadily in the UK and, while men are slightly more likely to be diagnosed overall, younger women face a higher risk than men of the same age. One woman is calling on the government to scrap VAT on sunscreen after being diagnosed with skin cancer at the age of 26. Jessica Zbinden-Webster explains more while on her way to Downing street with her petition.
Scotland’s overcrowded prison system is facing a deepening crisis, but a different approach to custody for women is showing early signs of cutting reoffending. The Lilias community custody unit in Glasgow is designed for women who require lower levels of supervision. Paula Arnold, Governor of HMP & Youth Offenders Institute Stirling, and responsible for the unit explains what these units offer.
British boxer Chantelle Cameron is Britain’s first female undisputed boxing champion of the four-belt era, and the current WBO super-welterweight world champion. Next Saturday she’ll meet American Mikaela Mayer for a unification fight to win three super-welterweight world titles in Birmingham. She joins Nuala to talk about why she believes women should be fighting three-minute rounds, and why this weekend could be one of the most important nights of her career.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey