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Woman's Hour: Women in Men's Prisons, Glasgow Strike, Women Cyclists

22/10/2018

Women in Men's Prisons, Glasgow Strike, Women Cyclists

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Women in Men's Prisons, Glasgow Strike, Women Cyclists

Training to be a prison officer, cleaners and carers strike in Glasgow, women cyclists.

The last part of the series on women training to be prison officers in male prisons. Cleaners and carers striking in Glasgow. And women cyclists pushing themselves to the limit.

Training to be a prison officer takes 12 weeks. Meet Sally, who's the third woman in our series. She describes the training and explains why she's so excited to start work in a men's prison. 

It's estimated that more than 8,000 workers will strike on 23 and 24 October in Glasgow. That's according to the GMB and Unison. For more than a decade a dispute has raged over equal pay for women workers who are caterers, cleaners and care assistants. They say they're paid less than male workers who do jobs at the same kind of level, like refuse collection. Jane speaks to Stefan Cross QC, director of the group Action 4 Equality. He's joined by Shona Thomson and Amanda Green who are intending to strike, and Susan Aitken, SNP Leader of Glasgow City Council.

It's sixty years since the first woman took her seat in the House of Lords. She was Baroness Swanborough, founder of the Women’s Voluntary Service. It did valuable work with refugees, bombing victims, the armed forces and child evacuees during the Second World War. Oonagh Gay, a former senior librarian in the House of Commons tells us  all about her, as well as the women who would go on to join her in the Lords.   

In our Woman’s Hour Power List 2018, we’ve been highlighting women who are big in the world of music. But who sticks up for them when things go wrong? We speak to Deborah Annetts who's the Chief Executive of the Incorporate Society of Musicians. She stands up for the legal rights of performers in the music industry. She discusses her work and the difficulties musicians face.
 
In the 1890s, women’s track cycling was so popular it sometimes caused a riot. We speak to Isabel Best about her book Queens of Pain: Legends and Rebels of Cycling. It tells the stories of maverick women through history who have broken barriers and set records, constantly searching out new challenges to prove themselves on two wheels.

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