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became Minister for Women and Equalities, on top of her appointment as Culture Secretary, in September of this year. She joins Jane Garvey in the Woman’s Hour studio to discuss issues that women are currently facing with the continued pay gap, high unemployment and the cost of childcare.

Some women take part in hot flash mobs, some hold parties, get tattoos, go on retreat or create a piece of art to mark their menopause. Should we celebrate ‘the change’ more than we do, by creating our own rites of passage for it? Or just weather the storm? Jane discusses how to approach the menopause with women who have all come up with novel and different ideas.

Who are the most powerful women when it comes to shaping public policy in areas such as education and health?Ìý Does power in public policy equate with Ìýthe ability to bring about change or is it about being a leading thinker?Ìý Jane speaks to Anne McElvoy, Public Policy Editor at .

Ilene Prusher has been a foreign correspondent for many years, mainly in the Middle East.Ìý She has now written her first novel, , about the relationshipÌýbetween a female American journalist and her male Iraqi fixer, set during the first few lawless weeks following the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime. She talks to Jane about her time in Iraq, the relationship between a fixer and a journalist and what life was like for ordinary Iraqis during the war.

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Baghdad Fixer byÌýIlene PrusherÌý

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