Woman's Hour

Multiple protests have been taking place in Delhi over the past week. Hundreds of women have come together in India's capital to protest against a series of sexual assaults - most recently the alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old near Delhi university's campus. Anita speaks to the BBC's South Asia correspondent Azadeh Moshiri.
The manufacturers of a new weight loss drug are warning women to beware of dangerous fakes being offered. The new medication is called Retatrutide. Although you can find it for sale on websites, it's not approved and is still in clinical trials. Dr Emily Pegg the UK medical director of the drug company Eli Lilley, the makers of Retatrutide and Dr Alison Cave, the chief safety officer of the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority join Anita Rani to discuss the issues.
A photography exhibition starts at the Vagina Museum in London next week called Just Because We Smile, Doesn’t Mean We’re Over It. The images are of more than 100 people who have experienced miscarriage, baby loss or infertility. It is the passion project of Bex Gunn, who along with Laura Buckingham runs The Worst Girl Gang Ever Foundation. Bex and Laura join Anita to explain why they founded their charity and the community that are reflected in these photos.
The fourth part of our listener series 'When My Body Surprised Me'. Saba describes the impact weight training for the first time in her 60s has had on her life.
Helen Rebanks believes the unsung heroes of rural life are often the wives whose behind-the-scenes efforts keep both the family and the business afloat. Descended from generations of Cumbrian farmers, she still lives in the Lake District. Her bestselling 2023 book, The Farmer's Wife, has inspired a play by the same name, running at the Theatre By The Lake in Keswick until 10 October. Helen joins Anita along with playwright Hannah Khalil to discuss the often-overlooked role of farmers wives.
Presented by: Anita Rani.
Producer: Louise Corley

New York state prosecutors say they will reopen a criminal inquiry into the alleged rape of a woman at Cornell University in 2024. The woman, referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, alleges in her lawsuit that seven men from Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity chapter assaulted her in an incident involving alcohol and the drug ketamine. The case was investigated by university police but will now go before a grand jury. The case has been discussed widely online, with many including actress Florence Pugh reacting with fury over the reported disciplinary actions taken by the university. Nada Tawfik, BBC North American correspondent, and Tracey Vitchers, Executive Director of It's On Us, a non-profit programme dedicated to college sexual assault prevention, join Anita Rani to discuss.
The broadcaster, campaigner and charity founder Dame Esther Rantzen has died at the age of 86. She will be best remembered for presenting the BBC TV Programme That’s Life. She also set up Childline – the telephone helpline for children suffering abuse or neglect – and spent a lot of time campaigning for older people and for assisted dying. Guardian journalist Zoe Williams remembers her and her impact on women's lives.
Australia has launched its Endometriosis Management Plan, which gives GPs and patients a much greater role in the management of their endo. Professor Danielle Mazza from Monash University in Melbourne has been instrumental in designing and delivering the plan. She discusses how the UK might benefit from something like this with Dr Sylvia Kama-Kieghe, a GP in Sheffield, and Vice President of Membership and Workforce at the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.
A social media-driven resurgence in the popularity of sunbeds is said to be fuelling a rise in cases of skin cancer, particularly among young people, according to some experts. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is now one of the most common cancers in people aged 15 to 34, according to Cancer Research UK. Meanwhile research by the Teenage Cancer Trust found around 48% of 18 to 34-year-olds in the UK use sunbeds – the highest proportion of any age group. Observer journalist Marine Saint has been looking into this, along with Rosie Vare from the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Producer: Melanie Abbott
Presenter: Anita Rani

The Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced an end to the triple lock for the state pension from 2030, and it’s thought that women could be most affected by the proposed changes. Kylie Pentalow is joined by consumer finance expert Sarah Pennells to explain what the news could mean for women’s pensions.
The Women’s Art Collection at Murray Edwards College in Cambridge is marking 40 years since its inception in 1986, with a new exhibition inspired by its very first artwork and two new acquisitions. Joining Kylie Pentelow to discuss putting women in the frame are Harriet Loffler, Director of the Women’s Art Collection, the artist Professor Dame Sonia Boyce and the art historian and author of The Story of Art Without Men, Katy Hessel.
A group of school children have set up a petition calling on the government to ban the use of school uniforms in porn. They say they want to abolish the sexualisation of children through the inappropriate use of school uniform. Kylie is joined by two of the campaigners Aylin and Mae, both 15. Kylie also hears from Professor Clare McGlynn, Professor of Law at Durham University and author of Exposed: The problem of Extreme Porn.
The cultural historian Mineke Schipper was reading proverbs from around the world, when she stumbled upon an idea for a new research project, into what she describes as the last feminist taboo - what happens to women after their husbands die. The research has now become a book called Widows and Mineke joins Kylie to talk about what she's learnt.
Have you ever thought about the ways your body has surprised you? Our bodies carry us through every day, and they vary not only between people, but change hugely over the course of our own lives. We’re exploring the question through the experiences of our Woman's Hour listeners. Today we hear from Rebecca, sharing the story of her recovery from breast cancer, and how her body made it through gruelling cancer treatment to find community and joy in the ocean.
Presenter: Kylie Pentalow
Producer: Olivia Skinner

Many parents will have just experienced the departure of their children from the family home as they head for university, turning once-bustling households into so-called 'empty nests'. It can leave those left behind feeling unsettled and cut adrift. Denise Turner, Professor of Social Work at the University of Hertfordshire, is researching the impact this life transition has on parents. She joins Kylie Pentelow along with parenting author and journalist Lorraine Candy to discuss her findings.
Almost half of electronic tags used to track offenders' movements are not fitted on time, with significant delays putting victims in England and Wales at risk, according to a report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation. It found only 55% of GPS and radio frequency tags were fitted on time, and some criminals are waiting up to five months to be fitted with a tag. Thousands more prisoners will be released from Thursday as part of the new law. Most will require tagging. Farah Nazeer, CEO of Women's Aid, and Andrea Coomber KC, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, discuss.
A new fund has been launched to create 'unstoppable momentum' to end female genital mutilation (FGM). The United Nations has set a goal of elimination by 2030, but progress is not on track as funding declines and legal protections are challenged. This new fund, called Her Horizon Fund, set up by the US-based Wallace Global Fund, seeks to pool $100m from donors to reach a 'tipping point' towards ending FGM within a generation. But Nimco Ali, an FGM survivor and activist, has concerns about this fund. She joins Susan Gibbs, the Wallace Global Fund's senior adviser on women's rights and FGM.
The Mexican-American comedian, actor and writer Lara Ricote grew up in Miami before moving to the Netherlands to study politics, where she began performing improv and stand-up comedy. She won the Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2022 for her debut show GRL/LATNX/DEF. She joins Kylie to discuss her role in the romantic comedy series Break Clause, which starts on 1 October.
Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Ten NHS staff have been removed from duty or suspended after accessing the medical records of three-year-old Noah Woods, without authorisation.
A major search for Noah was carried out in the village of Brantham, Suffolk, after the child went missing on 15 September. His body was found the next day in a nearby pond by police divers. An urgent investigation has been launched by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which says any unauthorised access to patient data is 'completely unacceptable.' BBC Health Correspondent Jim Read joins Kylie Pentelow to discuss the case and the issues it raises, along with Sam Smith, from the organisation Med Confidential, which campaigns for confidentiality in healthcare.
South Africa also has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world, and calls are intensifying for more to be done to protect women after the bodies of 10 women have been discovered in Ekurhuleni, east Johannesburg in South Africa in the past two months. It has triggered an outpouring of national grief and outrage, and it's brought the issue of femicide and gender-based violence to the forefront of national discussions. The BBC's Southern Africa correspondent Pumza Fihlani gives an update on developments.
What happens when retirement doesn't mean giving up work? Joanne, who is 72, and Karen, who is 66, discuss their experiences of working after retirement.
Serenity Falls is the latest thriller novel by C. J. Tudor. The story centres on a British father and daughter who unexpectedly inherit a luxurious house in a seemingly idyllic, crime-free town, Serenity Falls, in the US. Dan and Sadie seize the opportunity for a fresh start and emigrate, but on day one a corpse dressed in an armadillo suit turns up in their swimming pool, and that's just the start of a series of freakish events. C. J. joins Kylie to talk about writing thrillers and her passion for tattoos.
Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Dianne McGregor