Woman's Hour

We look at the women in Andy Burnham's government. Three out of four of the great offices of state are now occupied by men, but there are lots of female MPs joining - and re-joining - the top table. Clare McDonnell talks to broadcaster and former Labour advisor Baroness Ayesha Hazarika and Bloomberg's UK political commentator Rosa Prince.
Could using conscious sedation transform the experience of hysteroscopy? Around 70,000 women undergo this womb procedure every year, but campaigners say many are still left in severe pain with too few options for pain relief. Clare McDonnell hears from Dawn Lord who says her hysteroscopy left her traumatised, and from Irina Stankeviciute, a hysteroscopy nurse who has helped pioneer a new conscious sedation service aimed at giving women more choice and control.
The Commonwealth Games begin on Thursday in Glasgow. Which female athletes we should be keeping our eyes on, and what we can look forward to in this year's competition? BBC Sport Journalist Matt Henry gives his picks, and Clare is also joined by wheelchair racer Melanie Woods who will be competing.
Gentle Things is a novel set in 1660s London, as the city reels from the impact of the Great Fire and the Plague. Writer Danielle Giles joins Clare to discuss why the world of 17th century apothecaries, who created medicinal cures from herbs, spices and sometimes from human body parts, was the perfect setting for a Gothic novel.

As Andy Burnham takes over as Prime Minister, we ask leading campaigners and experts on women’s issues what they think he should prioritise on day one of his premiership. Clare McDonnell is joined by Labour MP and former Violence against Women and Girls minister Jess Phillips, senior midwife Donna Ockenden who led the recent review into maternity care failings in Nottingham, and Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society Penny East.
Fatboy Slim, one of the biggest DJs of the 1990s, has just finished playing four nights to appreciative crowds in his home town of Brighton. And among the crowd were a number of midlife women. More women in their forties and fifties, who are often experiencing the pressure of caring for both children and older parents, are exchanging an early night for being up raving at 4am. Clare McDonnell finds out more from Alinka Greasley, Professor of music psychology at the University of Leeds who has carried out research into women and raving and is a raver and DJ herself.
How can we explore distant stars, buried water on Mars, or witness the first moments after the Big Bang? And what can we see without having to leave our back garden? Dr. Emma Chapman an award-winning radio astronomer based at the University of Nottingham, and a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin research fellow. She will be appearing at the Buxton International Festival this Friday. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss the radio universe, the upcoming Perseid Meteor Shower and a partial solar eclipse.
English Heritage has warned the tradition of sending postcards could become “a distant nostalgic memory", after half of Brits surveyed said they never send them. But with the rise in popularity of 'Snail Mail', largely driven by social media, how are women leading the charge to stay connected through post? To discuss, Clare McDonnell is joined by Great British Bake Off finalist Alice Fevronia, who set up The Artful Baker Club, and Rebecca McMillan, who co-founded The Sunday Letter Project.
Presented by Clare McDonnell
Producer: Louise Corley

What impact do hormones have on women with ADHD? A pioneering study by Kings College and Queen Mary University in London is putting the link to the test, by asking 50 women who are medicated for their ADHD to track their menstrual cycle. Report academic Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais and Laura Mears-Reynolds from the charity ADHDAF+ join presenter Nuala McGovern to discuss why the research matters.
This weekend Dalia Stasevska conducted the first night of the BBC Proms. The Finnish-Ukrainian Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra also has a new album, Ukrainian Mixtape, recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, showcasing rarely heard works. Dalia joins presenter Anita Rani to discuss her route into conducting and her passion for Ukrainian music.
New analysis in The Economist suggests that, after years of progress, fewer women are reaching executive positions and there may also be signs that younger women are becoming less interested in promotion. Nuala speaks to the author of that report, Vinjeru Mkandawire, and Sanchia Neilson who left an executive role to rebalance her life.
Australian surf and fashion photographer Cait Miers is photographing 1,000 women globally, bare-faced, for a project she has called Laugh Lines. Anita talks to Cait about her mission to challenge beauty standards and also Alexis Zahner, one of the first women to be photographed for the project.
Actor Sarah Hadland will be a familiar face to many, having played numerous roles over the years, but is probably best known as Stevie in the BAFTA-nominated sitcom Miranda. Currently on stage in London’s West End, she joins Nuala to discuss her latest role as Alice in The Truth, a fast-paced comedy of infidelity and duplicity.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty McQuire

There is speculation today that the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will become Chancellor when the incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham announces his Cabinet on Monday. Whoever takes on the role will face quite the in-tray: high debt, low growth, welfare reform, defence spending, and the economic fallout from the US-Israel war with Iran, to name a few issues. So, if it's Shabana Mahmood, how might she fare and what do we know about her? Anita Rani speaks to Lucy Fisher, Whitehall Editor of the Financial Times and Host of the FT's Political Fix podcast.
Australian surf and fashion photographer Cait Miers says that on shoots women often criticise and apologise for their looks before a single photo is taken. She is now photographing 1,000 women globally, bare-faced, for a project she has called Laugh Lines. Anita is joined by Cait to talk about her mission to challenge beauty standards and also by Alexis Zahner, author of Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies, and one of the first women to be photographed for the project.
Dr Suzanne Huurman is the only woman to head a country's medical staff in the men's 2026 FIFA World Cup, meaning there is just one woman and 47 men in the lead role for the teams taking part this year. Anita talks to Suzanne about being a trailblazer, how she - as head of medical staff for Curacao's national men's side - got to become only the third-ever female team doctor in the 96-year history of the tournament and what she thinks could be done to increase female representation in football.
The Young British Artists, YBA movement of the 1990s is the inspiration for a new novel, Exhibition, by Alex Hyde. The protagonist, Rabble, an aspiring photographer, finds herself in the YBA scene after meeting an artist always referred to in the novel as “you”. Anita talks to Alex about how, through Rabble, her novel explores the inspiration and process of creating art - and the question of ownership, referencing real works.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt

New research from the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse suggests one in five girls and one in ten boys experience sexual abuse during childhood. Yet the organisation says only a fraction of those children are ever identified by professionals. We discuss the findings with the Centre's Deputy Director, Anna Glinski, and ask why so many children are still being missed.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has worked with female athletes to develop new guidelines that aim to avoid sexualising the action with unnecessary camera angles. UK Athletics President Denise Lewis and Danielle Sellwood, sports documentary maker, gives us their thoughts.
AI ethicist Dr Eleanor Drage discusses her new book What If We Got AI Right? and why putting women at the centre of artificial intelligence could help create a fairer future.
Tomorrow night Dalia Stasevska will open the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the biggest night in classical music. Dalia is the Finnish-Ukrainian Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Away from the podium, she’s become one of the fiercest champions of Ukrainian composers and her new album Ukrainian Mixtape, recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, showcases rarely heard works. Dalia joins Anita to discuss what we can expect from the first night of BBC Proms, her passion for conducting, and Ukrainian music.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Simon Richardson