The number of midwives in England has increased by just 7% over the last year and some NHS Trusts in England have more than one in five midwifery jobs vacant, according to BBC research. The Royal College of Midwives says staffing gaps have to close. The BBC’s Health Correspondent Catherine Burns joins Clare McDonnell to talk about what her investigation into maternity units in England has discovered, and to share the story of Farzana, who had to give birth on her own after midwives said they were too busy to answer her calls.
Carole Stone must have one of the best address books ever. A former producer of BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions, for years Carole has run 'salons' and parties bringing together hundreds of interesting people - politicians, actors, journalists. Carole’s partner, the TV broadcaster Richard Lindley, died four years ago. Carole joins Clare to discuss how and why she is looking for another soulmate at the age of 81.
Could the next leader of North Korea be a woman? Clare gets the latest from lead correspondent at NK News, Jeongmin Kim, and hears more about what life is like for women on the ground with North Korea expert, Professor Hazel Smith.
As the number of pupils missing a significant amount of their education is about double the level it was before the pandemic, Clare is joined by Ellie Costello, the executive director of Square Peg, a not-for-profit which helps families that struggle with school attendance.
It’s 60 years this week since Jackie, the magazine for teenage girls, was first published. At its peak, it was selling more than a million copies a week. To celebrate the anniversary, Clare is joined by Nina Myskow, Jackie’s first female editor, and Wendy Rigg, a teenage fan who achieved her dream of working on Jackie.
Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Lottie Garton
Woman's Hour Election Debate
‘Sextortion diary’, dealing with a terminal diagnosis, Judy Garland impersonator
Elite rower Helen Glover, Leader Interview: Carla Denyer, Les Amazones d'Afrique, Ozempic
Graves of stillborn babies, Chaka Khan, Climate seniors, Right wing women leaders in the EU
Paloma Faith, Leader interview: Rhun Ap Iorwerth, Parents with learning difficulties
Naomi Klein, Thornaby FC, folk singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, author Lucy Foley
Isabella Tree, Emma Caldwell case, Baroness Delyth Morgan
Plus ones, Swifties, Scotland rape rule, Long-lost siblings
Bat for Lashes, Women and D-Day, Author Saima Mir, Sextortion
Tina Fey, Ireland's first 'witch', does young farmer culture have a problem with women?
Abandoned babies, Adventurer Alice Morrison, Being a 'BoyMum'
Mexico election, Queenie actor, Breast milk donor
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Ruth Jones, Netball Super League, FGM ban at risk in Gambia, Muses, Hadestown creator Anaïs Mitchell
Trump conviction, FGM ban at risk in Gambia, TV’s Queen of Books
Weekend Woman’s Hour: British cyclist Lizzy Banks, Show-women, Love bombing, Infected blood scandal
Ozempic, Netball Super League, Olivier award-winner Cassidy Janson
Hadestown creator Anaïs Mitchell, Perfume’s Darkest Secrets, the return of Loaded magazine
Ruth Jones, Women and renting, Couples who disagree about having children
Muses
India's women voters, Dame Harriet Walter on Clara Schumann, Climate medal winner
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