Woman's Hour News and Politics

David Cameron was echoing comments by Barack Obama when he called for a 'responsibility revolution' amongst absentee fathers, with particular reference to the black community. But was he right to single out black fathers? And what does the 'responsibility revolution' actually mean? Neil Solo from the Babyfather Initiative, Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate Shaun Bailey and Duncan Fisher from The Fatherhood Institute join Jane to discuss the issue.

For the first time the two top government legal jobs - Attorney General and Solicitor General - are held by women. But what difference has it made?

Lively discussion of the week's events. Jane is joined by writer and journalist Rowan Pelling, agony aunt Virginia Ironside and author Tim Lott. Topics include a proposed increase in paternity leave, mental health stigmas affecting MPs and Helen Mirren in THAT bikini.

She’s been called a couturier of tea – but she believes that fine tea should not be for the privileged few. Henrietta Lovell’s passion for tea began when she had to travel to China for work. Now a champion of the delights and range of teas from silver tip white tea to rarest oolong, Henrietta has just become Selfridge’s consultant on fine teas; she also runs the Rare Tea Company. She joins Jane to discuss the art of making the perfect cup of tea; what to drink if you want to keep up your anti-oxidants but keep down your caffeine; and to explore the subtle possibilities that tea can offer.

The MoD has promised a crackdown on lewd behaviour after research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission uncovered a widespread culture of sexism in the armed forces. But should the same moral values apply to the troops as to the rest of us.

This week the Church of England voted to allow the consecration of women bishops. Yet it could still be as long as four or five years before we actually see women take on the role. Senior Anglican women from around the world are meeting this week to explore the changing face of leadership across the Anglican Communion. Jane discusses the subject with Christina Rees, Chair of Watch, and Vivienne Faull, the Dean of Leicester.

Helene Darroze is one of France’s most distinguished chefs, she currently holds two Michelin stars at her restaurant on the Left Bank in Paris. From next week, she’ll be bringing her culinary skills to the newly refurbished Connaught in London. Jenni talks to her about her cooking philosophy, rising to the top of her profession, and the need for ‘quietness’ in her kitchen.

In pursuit of tiger traffickersnnAs Head of the Environmental Investigation Agency’s Tiger Campaign, Debbie Banks has spent a number of years tramping through India, Nepal, Tibet and China in pursuit of animal skin traffickers. Often she is undercover, disguised as either a tourist or businesswoman. Her work has had a significant impact on the tiger skin trade and she is currently in the process of trying to bust several gangs of traffickers. Debbie speaks to Jenni about her work and her attempts to highlight the plight of tigers.

On her new novel 'Strange Music'nnIn 1837 an ailing Elizabeth Barrett is confined to bed, suffering from a debilitating illness. On the Barrett family estate in Jamaica, a Creole maidservant is struggling to save her child from the abusive attentions of the master. Laura joins Jenni to talk about her new novel, 'Strange Music' and how she entwines the lives and aspirations of three very different women.

Is rape conviction becoming a postcode lottery?nnThe Fawcett Society has obtained figures from the Government which reveal huge deficiencies in police responses to rape in many parts of the UK. In some regions women who report rape are almost five times less likely to achieve a conviction than in others. In 18 out of 43 police areas, the conviction rate has got worse since 2004. Jenni will be discussing the findings with Sarah Campbell, Policy Officer at the Fawcett Society.

Published in March 07, the Corston Report on Vulnerable Women in the Criminal Justice System recommended several proposals to keep non violent women out of prison and rehabilitate them in the community, and for serious and dangerous offenders to be housed in smaller prisons. However, figures released this month reveal the women’s prison population reached a record high of 4,505 in June this year. So what recommendations has the government met and how far is it actually willing to go? Jenni is joined by the report’s author Baroness Corston and Juliet Lyon from the Prison Reform Trust to discuss the issues.

Lively debate on the week's news for woman: a new tv reality show looks for a model with disabilities; dying with dignity; the Equality Bill and women intellectuals.

More than 30 years since the Equal Pay Act, the equalities minister, Harriet Harman has announced new legislation which will require public service employers to introduce pay audits, so that at least men and women will know whether they’re being paid the same or not. She hopes private companies would be shamed into following suit. Harman also says she plans to make the workplace more diverse. But can the new proposals achieve what has so far proved an elusive goal? Jenni is joined by Tony Pettengell, a columnist for Personnel Today and Sarah Veale head of Equality and Employment Rights for the TUC.

The Harlequin ladybird was introduced into the USA from its native China to combat an aphid infestation in the Deep South. It preceded to spread throughout the country, decimating local ladybird species as it went. It was first spotted in Europe in 2001, and reached the UK in 2004. So now our 26 native ladybird species are under threat from this voracious predator. To mark the start of National Insect Week, Christina Majerus and Remy Ware, authors of a new book about British ladybirds, join Jane Garvey to talk about what you can do to help.

More women are taking up amateur boxing than ever before. What is the attraction and how appropriate is it?

Almost a year ago Sylvia Lancaster’s daughter, Sophie, was murdered because of the way she looked. Sylvia was so disturbed by the lack of remorse shown by the boys who killed her that she wanted to abandon her job as a youth worker. Instead she's trying to eradicate the youth violence and binge-drinking that led to her daughter’s death.

Professor Wangari Maathai was born and raised in the highlands of Kenya. From there she won a scholarship to America and gained a degree before returning to academic life in her homeland. In the mid-seventies, she founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental and human rights campaigning group whose main focus has been helping women’s groups plant trees to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. Millions of trees have since been planted, not only in Kenya, but across Africa and, in 2004, in recognition of her work, she became the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She talks to Jenni about her tree planting campaign and her fight for human rights.

In her book, ‘Wild Swim’, Kate Rew, who founded the Outdoor Swimming Society, identifies hundreds of her favourite places to swim. She joins Jane to talk about the attractions of taking a dip in the often bitterly cold British waters.

In the film 'Teeth' a high school girl, torn between her budding sexuality and chastity, discovers that she has a toothed vagina. The film was inspired by the myth of the vagina dentata - and heavily influenced by the work of the feminist Camille Paglia. Jane discusses the ancient myth and what it says about men and women with folklore academic Juliette Wood, and Clare Pajaczkowska, author of Shame and Sexuality: Psychoanalysis and the Visual Culture

For many women, a night at the bingo is a great chance to catch up with friends, play a few rounds and hopefully come away making a small profit. But the popularity of bingo halls is on the wane, as the smoking ban and taxation mean that attendance figures and profits are well down. Companies in the leisure industry are trying to find other ways to plug that gap - online gambling is easy to find if you spend any time on the internet and the tv companies like ITV are scheduling late night bingo shows – so are the traditional bingo players finding other ways of playing? How popular is gambling amongst women and how are younger people being targeted by the leisure industries? Jenni is joined by Dr Carolyn Downs from the Research Institute for Health & Social Change at Manchester Metropolitan University and Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) to look at some of the issues affecting Bingo.

Jenni Murray is joined by Polly Russell, co-author of "The Kitchen Revolution" and food enthusiast Justine Brian from the Institute of Ideas to discuss whether we should be adopting a more frugal attitude towards food.

Ffion Hague joins Jenni Murray to discuss her new book "The Pain and the Privilege: The Women in Lloyd George's Life."

The term ‘Bluestockings’ originated as a nickname for a group of 18th Century women headed by Elizabeth Montagu who met in each others' salons to further their education. The National Portrait Gallery in London is currently holding a major exhibition to celebrate these cultivated women. As part of our series looking at bluestocking women, Anna McNamee went to the gallery to find out about the historian Catherine Macaulay and her often scandalous life.

The European Parliament Women’s Rights Committee believes there’s an increased risk of women and girls being trafficked for prostitution during the football championships, and wants the European Commission and member states to raise awareness of the issue. Mary Honeyball is a Labour MEP and member of the committee, and Eva Biaudet is Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Heidi Holland is the first foreign journalist to have interviewed the Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in the past three years. 30 years ago she gave him dinner in her house when he was an idealistic ‘freedom fighter’. She has since watched his career closely as he turned into one of Africa’s worst dictators. In her new book, Dinner with Mugabe, Heidi attempts to identify what caused this transformation, and to understand what lies behind Mugabe's tyrannical hold on power.

What role can the woman once tipped to be the first female president play in the party and any future Democrat government? Jane talks to Margot Miller, head of the London Clinton Campaign and a Clinton delegate, and Karen Sloan of the Associated Press.

Lively comment on the week's events - the European football championships, children's drinking, Mills and Boon, and David Cameron's new hair-do. Jane is joined by author Amanda Craig, sports presenter Eleanor Oldroyd and Times columnist Hugo Rifkind.