Main content

Lucy Chappell; 脝thelgifu the Medieval Abbess; Women on Boards; Women and Festive TV.

Emma is joined by Chief Scientific Officer Lucy Chappell, the medieval abbess mentioned in parliament by Jacob Rees Mogg and how to encourage more women onto executive boards.

During a recent Business Questions in parliament Jacob Rees Mogg took a moment to mark the feast of St 脝thelgifu, and called the medieval abbess one of Britain鈥檚 leading saints. But was she? What do we really know about 脝thelgifu and the other leading medieval women at this time? We talk to Florence Scott, a historian of early medieval England, studying for a PhD at Leeds University, and who runs the blog Aelfgif-who?

A new survey shows that for the first time more women than men are sitting as non executive directors on boards. But at the same time nine out of ten executive directors are still men. We talk to Tessa Bamford from Spencer Stuart the organisation that conducted the research and also to Ann Cairns Executive Vice Chair of Mastercard who is also the lead non-executive board member of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

On Tuesday we talked about pregnant women getting jabbed, getting the booster and fears that some women have about how it will affect their fertility. All pregnant women have been able to get COVID-19 vaccines since April, when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised they should be offered two vaccine doses at the same time as the rest of us based on their age and clinical risk group. Despite this, the government has come under fire for months for not encouraging enough pregnant women to get vaccinated, with many women concerned about what they see as mixed messages coming at them. So what needs to be done to get more pregnant women vaccinated and get the booster? Professor Lucy Chappell is the Chief Scientific Officer for the Department of Health and Social Care.

The Christmas Radio Times is out and we now know what TV we can look forward to watching over the festive period. But can TV divide a household rather than unite it? Are women the gatekeepers of family TV? Or, do men rule the remote? Professor of Media and Communications, Catherine Johnson, has looked at the impact lockdown has had on our family TV watching styles. Journalist Emma Beddington tells us what she鈥檒l be tuning into in her house.

Picture of 脝thelgifu courtesy of illustrator Pollie Scott.

Available now

57 minutes

Broadcast

  • Thu 16 Dec 2021 10:00

Follow us on Instagram

Get all the pictures, videos, behind the scenes and more from Woman鈥檚 Hour

Podcast