Woman's Hour

Mothers are taking part today in the Extinction Rebellion protests with a mass ‘nurse in’ when they will bottle or breastfeed their young babies on the front line of one of the road blockades. Jenni looks at the history of women taking their children to protests with Anne Pettitt one of the founders of the Women’s Peace Camp at Greenham Common in the 1980’s, Lorna Greenwood one of the organisers of today’s ‘nurse in’ and Dr Caitriona Beaumont, associate Professor of Social History from London South Bank University. While the catwalks of London, New York and Paris appear to be thriving, the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium reveal that the high street has just experienced its worse September in over 20 years – with clothing sales down 3.9%. There’s also a much greater awareness of the environmental impacts of fast fashion. With 11 million items of clothing going into UK landfill each week, the days of guilt-free shopping sprees are surely over. So what is the real face of fashion today? Stylist and journalist Basma Khalifa discusses the rise of ‘season-less’ style, while Oxfam’s sustainable fashion expert Fee Gilfeather talks about the surge in second-hand fashion as an alternative to buying new. The second of two reports on the American states that have tightened their abortion laws this year. Today we hear from Alabama which voted in the strictest abortion laws in the whole of America. Despite this there’s a surprising building going up in its largest city, Birmingham. It’s a sexual health clinic which will offer abortions. People are already protesting against it and Siobhann Tighe has been to meet them. Shuck ‘N’ Jive is the debut play written by Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong and Simone Ibbett-Brown. Frustrated by the stereotypical roles available to them, Cassiopeia and Simone decided to write a play exploring representation and systemic racism in the performing arts. Presented by Jenni Murray Produced by Caroline Donne Interviewed guest: Anne Pettitt Interviewed guest: Lorna Greenwood Interviewed guest: Dr. Caitriona Beaumont Interviewed guest: Basma Khalifa Interviewed guest: Fee Gilfeather Interviewed guest: Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong Interviewed guest: Simone Ibbett-Brown