300 episodes

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

Woman's Hour BBC Radio 4

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.1 • 2.6K Ratings

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

    Olympian cyclist Dame Laura Kenny, Actor Imogen Poots, Pornography series

    Olympian cyclist Dame Laura Kenny, Actor Imogen Poots, Pornography series

    Dame Laura Kenny, Britain's most decorated female Olympian, talks to Emma Barnett about her sporting career, motherhood and her decision to quit cycling.
    Are we staying in more since the pandemic? We talk to Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO of UK Hospitality, and Ellen Scott, Acting Digital Content Director at Stylist Magazine.
    Our pornography series continues with 'Elaine', a woman in her late 60s who's worried about her husband's porn use. Followed by a discussion about the effect habitual porn use has on our brains with Dr Paula Hall, a Sexual & Relationship Psychotherapist, and Professor Valarie Voon, Neuropsychiatrist and Neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge.
    Actor Imogen Poots is starring in a new film about the English heiress turned IRA bomber and art thief Rose Dugdale called Baltimore. Imogen tells Emma about her approach to the role. After today’s programme aired, the news broke that Rose Dugdale has died aged 83.
    Presenter: Emma Barnett
    Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
    Studio Manager: Andy Garner

    • 57 min
    Weekend Woman’s Hour: Irish folk singer Cara Dillon, The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax, Maximalism

    Weekend Woman’s Hour: Irish folk singer Cara Dillon, The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax, Maximalism

    Cara Dillon won the All Ireland singing trophy aged only 14 and has gone on to receive countless awards and accolades including Album Of The Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. She has worked for Disney – singing the title song to the animated movie Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, and topped the charts with dance remixes. She joins Emma to discuss her book and a new album – Coming Home – in which she brings storytelling, poetry, and song, offering personal memories and stories inspired by her native Co. Derry, and exploring themes of family, identity and home.
    The government in South Korea has said the country’s birth rate has fallen to a record low, despite it having spent billions on initiatives to encourage women to have more children. It dropped to 0.72 in 2023 - and for a population to hold steady, that number should be 2.1. Why are women in the country deciding not to have children? BBC journalist Yuna Ku in Seoul explains.
    We continue our series looking at how porn in shaping our sex and relationships today by speaking to Dr Fiona Vera-Gray. She says that when we think about porn we still mostly think about men, men as the producers and the consumers and women as the product. Her new book, Women On Porn, details the experiences of one hundred women and their views on porn and she joins Emma in the studio.
    For the first time, four mums are speaking out about what it was like to be at the centre of a conspiracy that went viral, even reaching the USA. Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax is a new documentary that looks at what happened to them. Director Emily Turner and mum ‘Anna’ (not her real name) join Emma Barnett to talk about why they wanted to speak out and share this story.
    The Women's Six Nations begins later this month. Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy are taking part as well as England who are looking to build on the glory of 2023, when they sealed the grand slam in front of nearly 60,000 spectators at Twickenham, a record crowd for a women’s game. We'll continue to cover the Six Nations as it gets underway but to kick us off Emma is joined by England Rugby player Meg Jones.
    In recent years, maximalism has been all the rage in the interior design world. Patterns on patterns and riotous colours. But what are the pros and cons of adding personality to your home? Pottery artist, Mary Rose Young and Kate Sandhu, interiors influencer and founder of Kate Sandhu Renovation, join Emma to discuss.

    • 53 min
    Men & porn, Women's Diaries, South Korea birth rate

    Men & porn, Women's Diaries, South Korea birth rate

    As part of our ongoing series on pornography and how it’s shaping our relationships, we’ve heard from many of our female listeners whose attitudes and feelings towards porn vary greatly. Men are still the major consumers and producers of porn, so today we hear from some of them. Clare McDonnell is joined by the Times journalist Sean Russell, a man in his 30s, and two listeners: Jake, who is in his 40s, and also Gabriel, who is in his 60s. The three share how porn has shaped their sex and relationships.
    Do you keep a diary? Why and who for? Is it for yourself or for potential readers in the future? And does it allow you to express emotions that have no other outlet? These are just some of the themes explored in Secret Voices: A Year of Women's Diaries, which has been billed as the first comprehensive anthology of solely female diarists. Compiled by the historical biographer Sarah Gristwood, it features entries from over the past four centuries, from the likes of Florence Nightingale, Beatrix Potter, Audre Lorde and Emma Thompson.
    The government in South Korea has said the country’s birth rate has fallen to a record low, despite it having spent billions on initiatives to encourage women to have more children. It dropped to 0.72 in 2023 - and for a population to hold steady, that number should be 2.1. Why are women in the country deciding not to have children? BBC journalist Yuna Ku in Seoul explains.
    Have you ever asked yourself: “Does my bum look big in this?" According to major UK clothes retailer, this question is no longer a bad thing. In fact, we should be aiming for it. They’ve taken big knickers to a whole other level, launching a new form of shapewear with bum padding, adding extra volume and curvature to your derriere. Anna Murphy is the Times’ Fashion Director. She’s tried out a similar model and explains her reaction.
    Presenter: Clare McDonnell
    Producer: Kirsty Starkey
    Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

    • 57 min
    Folk singer Cara Dillon, Diane Abbott and racist abuse, Haiti

    Folk singer Cara Dillon, Diane Abbott and racist abuse, Haiti

    Folk singer Cara Dillon joins Emma Barnett to discuss her book and a new album – Coming Home – which explores themes of family, identity and home.
    Host of the UK’s first ever maths summit, mathmetician Anne-Marie Imafidon talks about hosting the UK's first ever maths summit and the importance of the subject for business.
    Seven out of 10 candidates who've been selected to stand for the Conservative Party at the next election are men, according to new data gleaned by the journalist Michael Crick. We speak to him and the Charlotte Carew Pole, the Director of Women2Win, which aims to get more women into politics.
    Journalist Monique Clesca on the latest situation in Haiti, where powerful gangs have killed thousands and are using rape to "instil fear"
    Presenter: Emma Barnett
    Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
    Studio Engineer: Gayl Gordon

    • 52 min
    IVF clinic license suspended, Porn series, 'Queens' wildlife programme

    IVF clinic license suspended, Porn series, 'Queens' wildlife programme

    A new law will be introduced in the House of Commons at lunchtime today to clear the names of the hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted for theft and false accounting. To discuss what this means Emma Barnett is joined by Jo Hamilton, a former post sub-master who was wrongly charged with stealing £36,000 from the Hampshire village post office she ran and BBC Economics Correspondent Andy Verity.
    A fertility clinic in London has recently had its license suspended over what are being called “significant concerns” about the unit. Homerton Fertility Centre says there had been three separate incidents that highlighted errors in some freezing processes - meaning some people’s embryos were lost. Emma Barnett talks to the Telegraph’s Health Editor Laura Donnelly and Dr Ippokratis Sarris from King’s Fertility.
    We continue our series looking at how porn in shaping our sex and relationships today by speaking to Dr Fiona Vera-Gray. She says that when we think about porn we still mostly think about men, men as the producers and the consumers and women as the product. Her new book, Women On Porn, details the experiences of one hundred women and their views on porn and she joins Emma in the studio.
    A new ground-breaking wildlife series is launching this week. National Geographic’s ‘Queens’ focuses on female-led animal societies, and shows their lives away from the usual male fights and hunts. The seven-part series was produced by a women-led team and narrated by the actress Angela Bassett. Emma talks to the series co-executive producer and writer Chloe Sarosh.
    Presenter: Emma Barnett
    Producer: Emma Pearce
    Studio Manager: Emma Harth

    • 57 min
    Body shaming in dance, Author Charlotte Wood, Mothers’ Manifesto

    Body shaming in dance, Author Charlotte Wood, Mothers’ Manifesto

    A group of mums called Mothers' Manifesto are on day three of a five-day hunger strike in front of Parliament. They’re trying to draw attention to food insecurity and the plight of mums who have to go without food to ensure their children can eat. Today they’re meeting MPs to campaign for universal free school meals. Organiser Emma Hopkins tells Emma Barnett what they’ll be asking for.
    A former dancer has brought a legal case against her performing arts school alleging verbal and emotional abuse in the form of body shaming, along with allegations that the school had failed in its duty of care to her as a pupil. Last month, the case was settled out of court, and she received a pay-out, although the school did not admit liability. Her lawyer believes this successful claim is the first time a dancer has taken a dance school to court over body shaming. The woman and her lawyer speak to Emma about what happened. The woman has a court order in place to keep her anonymous, so we are not naming her.
    In recent years, maximalism has been all the rage in the interior design world. Patterns on patterns and riotous colours. But what are the pros and cons of adding personality to your home? Pottery artist, Mary Rose Young and Kate Sandhu, interiors influencer and founder of Kate Sandhu Renovation, join Emma to discuss.
    Charlotte Wood’s latest novel, Stone Yard Devotional, is set in a small convent hidden in the stark plains of the Australian outback. The main character is a middle-aged woman who takes refuge with the nuns as she grieves the loss of her parents. Charlotte joins Emma to talk about the inspiration for this book and what happened when, as she was writing it, she and her two sisters were all diagnosed with breast cancer.
    Presenter: Emma Barnett
    Producer: Lottie Garton

    • 57 min

Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5
2.6K Ratings

2.6K Ratings

navsboouwlansnaleju ,

Good insights, quite limited

Really enjoy Women’s Hour mostly. Deeper insights into really people’s lives, their work and sociology-political affairs.
However, this is structured and aimed at the middle class. There’s sympathy, for the working class, and an understanding for the elite, however, I imagine this content will be pretty inaccessible for many.
More raw, open & in-depth discussion needed/wanted, on daily struggle, the reality UK politics has on people, the reality of people not being seen by the NHS etc and ways to bring people together, rather than just talking it up & actually offering real solutions-or better equipped solutions.

Padlom.com ,

Talking topics

All topics covered are interesting and useful apart from sports.

Lucylu8282 ,

Hit or miss

I have a love hate relationship with WH. Sometimes it really resonates and the guests and topics are great, but other times it’s quite uncomfortable to listen to, particularly due to Emma’s interview technique. It seems like she tries to overcompensate to really get to the answer that she wants to hear (or thinks her listeners want to hear) and in doing so can be quite rude and derogatory to guests, to such an extent that their answers seem to be falling on her deaf ears! Let them speak and give their points! Listen more and perhaps if she doesn’t feel like they’re being open enough and addressing the crux of the issue, say so and give them the opportunity to respond but don’t keep interrogating and interrupting- it’s quite stressful and sometimes quite negative to listen to!

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

A Muslim & A Jew Go There
Instinct Productions
Miss Me?
BBC Sounds
The Louis Theroux Podcast
Spotify Studios
Things Fell Apart
BBC Radio 4
Young Again
BBC Radio 4
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment

You Might Also Like

Life Changing
BBC Radio 4
Desert Island Discs
BBC Radio 4
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment
Off Air... with Jane and Fi
The Times
Young Again
BBC Radio 4
The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan
Gabby Logan

More by BBC

Newscast
BBC News
Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley
BBC Radio 4
You're Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4
The Martin Lewis Podcast
BBC Radio 5 Live
The Infinite Monkey Cage
BBC Radio 4
Rugby Union Daily
BBC Radio 5 Live