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Menopause in the workplace

Do women who suffer from menopausal symptoms in the workplace face discrimination? What can and should be done to help? And the Women's Super League kicks off this week.

Do women who suffer from menopausal symptoms in the workplace suffer discrimination? What can and should be done to help?

And the Women's Super League kicks off this week with an exciting two divisions instead of just one. We speak to Kelly Simmons of the FA and player and commentator Sue Smith.

Following on from the Radio 4 documentary Shopping with Mum, we explore what it is like to shop with dad when mum is not around.

Jayne Monkhouse OBE is stepping away from her national role as equality advisor to the Police Federation - what has changed since she took up her post and what still needs to be done for women in the police?

And a new novel, Bodies of Light, about the pioneering generation of first female doctors.

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58 minutes

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Menopause in the workplace

Today the National Union of Teachers begins its annual conference in Brighton.  A motion is being put forward on Discrimination of Older Women Teachers in the workplace and as part of that motion the NUT are calling on employers to take into account the difficulties that women may experience during the menopause, and that female workers should be able to expect support and assistance during what is, for many, a very difficult time. 

Sarah Veale is the TUC’s Head of Equalities and Employment Rights and Kathryn Colas founded the website Simplyhormones to help other women after quitting her job while she was going through the menopause, and Susannah Clements is Deputy Chief Executive of the CIPD (Chartered Intistitue of Personel Development).

Gender equality in the police

Jayne Monkhouse has announced that she will step away from her role as equality

advisor to the Police Federation at the end of May – a role she’s worked in since

2001. For the 17 years preceding that she worked at the Equal Opportunities

Commission. She has helped to implement policies such as part time and flexible

working arrangements for police officers for the first time, and in 2010 was

awarded an OBE for services to equal opportunities and diversity. Jayne joins

Jenni to discuss the changes she’s seen in terms of gender equality in policing in

the last 30 years, and what work still needs to be done.

Women's football

It’s an exciting time for women’s football.  The new season started this week with matches kicking off on Wednesday evening with Arsenal hosting Notts County and for the first time there will be two divisions and the signs are that this year the league is set to be more competitive than ever. There will also be much more coverage of women’s football on the BBC as the Football Association and the BBC have agreed a new deal for live radio commentary of matches on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, and of course there is the Women’s Football Show that has just started its new series on BBC Three.

Jenni is joined by Sue Smith, who holds 93 caps for England and currently plays for the Doncaster Belles, and Kelly Simmons, Director of Women’s Football for the FA.

Bodies of Light

The Edinburgh Seven are a group of women who became the first generation of female doctors.  Surprisingly there is not much fiction about this remarkable group of women but a new novel by Sarah Moss does address this perhaps overlooked milestone for women.  Bodies of Light is Sarah’s third novel and it was published last week.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jenni Murray
Interviewed Guest Kelly Simmons
Interviewed Guest Sue Smith
Producer Louise Clarke Rowbotham

Broadcast

  • Fri 18 Apr 2014 10:00

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