The first of four programmes presenting questions concerning science, scientists and the public.
1 : Towards the Superwoman
Does the fact that women have babies hold them back from high office in our society? Do their hormones make them less reliable than men? Is the menopause to blame for reducing their capabilities at what would otherwise be the prime of life? What are the answers to these questions now that we have safe childbirth and totally effective contraception, when menstrual tensions can be eliminated and the menopause itself exploited for long-term advantages not available to men?
Michael Smee talks to gynaecologists. endocrinologists. sociologists, experts on ageing and the theorists of women's liberation, in an attempt to assess the biological factors in the position of women in society. Producer MEG SHEFFIELD