Rise in menopause tribunal cases; Brené Brown; Women's FA Cup Final; Ravinder Bhogal; Ghislaine Maxwell trial update

Brené Brown has always called herself a mapmaker and in her sixth and newest book, the Atlas of the Heart, out this week, she takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. Her TEDx talk “the power of vulnerability” is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with more than 50 million views. She joins Anita.

This Sunday marks 100 years since women's football was banned by the English Football Association. Because of Covid the Women's FA Cup final, traditionally played in May, will take place with Arsenal taking on Chelsea and shown live on the BBC. Kelly Simmons, director of the Women's Professional Game at the Football Association; and Jen O' Neill, editor of football magazine She Kicks discuss the game.

The number of tribunal cases in which employees are alleging menopause related discrimination is on the rise. Analysis of the Courts and Tribunals Service has shown that menopause was cited ten times in the first six months of 2021, and could rise to 20 by the end of the year, if the rate continues as it is. Research by Menopause Matters earlier this year found five cases in 2018, and 16 in 2020. Although these figures appear very small, nearly one million women are said to have left work due to menopausal symptoms and there is currently a Women and Equalities Committee inquiry looking into workplace practices around the menopause. So what can be done to prevent a situation getting as far as a tribunal? I’m joined by Lauren Chiren, who runs Women of a Certain Stage, providing coaching, mentoring and training on the menopause at work and Sinead Casey, a partner with the law firm Linklaters, who advise employers on workplace issues including menopausal women, and has been looking at the recent uptake in cases.

Over the next few Fridays we’ll be looking at alternative Christmas food ideas and who better to start off with than Ravinder Bhogal, journalist, chef and owner of Jikoni, her restaurant in London. Always challenging traditional notions of food preparation she joins Anita to share her thoughts on creating some rich adaptations of everything from brussel sprouts and ham to samosas and mathi. And tells us why Christmas is a particularly special time for her and her family. The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been in court all week in New York City on sex trafficking and other charges. She’s challenging claims that she groomed underage girls for convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein for sexual abuse. He died in prison in 2019. She’s been in a US jail since her arrest last year. We hear from Stephen Wright, Associate Editor at the Daily Mail currently in New York City covering the Ghislaine Maxwell trial.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Interviewed Guest: Brené Brown Interviewed Guest: Kelly Simmons Interviewed Guest: Jen O'Neill Interviewed Guest: Lauren Chiren Interviewed Guest: Sinead Casey Interviewed Guest: Ravinder Bhogal Interviewed Guest: Stephen Wright