Woman's Hour

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Woman's Hour: Women and Labour, Zarifa Ghafari, Leicester women united

Women and Labour

Women and Labour, Zarifa Ghafari, Leicester women united

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Women and Labour, Zarifa Ghafari, Leicester women united

Why are women more likely than men to vote Labour if an election were held now?

Sir Keir Starmer delivered his speech to the Labour Party conference yesterday. It comes as YouGov polling shows women would be more likely than men to vote Labour if an election were held now. What's behind this? Former Tony Blair aide for over 10 years Baroness Sally Morgan joins Emma Barnett alongside Anoosh Chakelin Britain Editor at the New Statesman.

Actor Gwyneth Paltrow decided to pose naked, mostly covered in gold body powder, and then posted her photos on social media saying she had learned to accept 'the marks and the loosening skin, the wrinkles' that come with turning 50 and her decision was 'more about the female gaze and just a sense of fun'.  Is there power to be gained from going naked? Emma speaks to economist and author Dr Victoria Bateman who protested against Brexit naked on TV, and walked naked into the drinks reception at the Royal Economic Society Conference.

A group of grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts and daughters from Leicester have called for an end to the clashes involving mainly young men from sections of the Muslim and Hindu communities.  The tensions in the city, which started last month following an India and Pakistan cricket match and the spread of misinformation on social media, resulted in large-scale disorder on 17th September on the east side of the city. This has led to nearly 50 arrests, 158 crimes being recorded and nine people being charged. The arrests have included people from outside of the city.  The group of South Asian women of Muslim, Hindu and Sikh faiths in Leicester issued a joint statement at the weekend saying "As strong proud Asian women, we know that when Leicester is united, it can never be defeated.” Joining Emma are local Labour Councillor Rita Patel who is Hindu and Yasmin Surti, a Muslim mother of three and Secretary of the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester.

Zarifa Ghafari was the youngest woman to become a mayor in Afghanistan, before having to flee the country last year after threats on her life by the Taliban, once again back in charge.  Zarifa sadly knows first hand the brutality of the regime, as only weeks after another assassination attempt on her life failed in 2020, the Taliban killed her father. Her story forms the basis of a new Netflix documentary called In Her Hands and a book called Zarifa.  She joins Emma from Germany, where she and her mother, fiance and six siblings now live in safety.

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Women and Labour, Zarifa Ghafari, Leicester women united

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