A Point of View

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A Point of View: Basic Instincts in the House of Commons

Ireland's Abortion Referendum - A Personal View

Basic Instincts in the House of Commons

BBC Radio 4 - A Point of View, Basic Instincts in the House of Commons

Sarah Dunant takes the temperature of sexual equality in politics.

From Eve in the Garden of Eden, to the 'archetypal bad girl, Mary Magdalene', to Angela Rayner in parliament, Sarah Dunant delves into the history of women distracting men.

In the aftermath of recent headlines coming out of the Commons, Sarah Dunant explores sexual equality through the ages. 

She looks in particular at the idea that 'women are temptresses who cannot - by definition of their sex - be trusted'.    

"So ingrained is this within Christian culture," Sarah writes, "that it defined attitudes towards women for millennia". 

Biblical accounts, renaissance sculpture, fairy tales and politics are all put under the spotlight.  

Producer: Adele Armstrong 
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

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