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
Misogyny in the music industry, author Lisa St Aubin de Terán, cervical smears
Fasting and women, Conscription, Cuteness exhibition
Long Covid, Professor Jo Phoenix tribunal victory, Paying children for chores
Lauren Sequeira, Rape misconceptions, Singer Julia Bullock
Long Covid, Holocaust Memorial Day, Princess Superstar
Claire Waxman, Victims' Bill, China birth rate, D-Mer Study, Academy Award nominations
Professor Jo Phoenix tribunal victory, Actor Sarah Greene
DJ Paulette, Abortion, Vinted co-founder, Childcare
Weekend Woman's Hour: Jodie Comer, Vicky McClure, Jameela Jamil
Vicky McClure, Mean Girls, Women’s Health Strategy update
Jodie Comer, Olivia Attwood, Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Jameela Jamil, Claudia Winkleman, Abortion buffer zones, Female Israel border soldiers
Having more children after 40, Gladiators, Nikki Hayley profile
Domestic abuse and brain injury, Calvin Klein advert, Exhaustion
Weekend Woman’s Hour - Cush Jumbo, Spice Girls Stamp, Assisted Dying
Quarterlife crisis, Family Courts, Northern Soul
Zara Aleena's aunt, Spice Girls stamps, surge in scabies
Cosmetic surgery reviews, Speed dating, Bangladesh elections, Assisted dying & palliative care
Cush Jumbo, Church leader survivors, Exonerated sub-postmistress
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