To think Women's Hour needs some new, non-victimy, subject matter

[Diamondback]

Maybe IABU, as I'm not a regular WH listener, but every time I hear the programme trailed on Today, at least one of the items is domestic abuse or sexual violence related.

Can't they think of any programme ideas that are about interesting women, making positive contributions to the world? Women researching cures for cancer, working for Nasa, running big tech companies or building wells where clean water is scarce?

I'll probably get deluged now by responses saying 'but didn't you hear that one time they interviewed this person/covered that thing', etc, but there does seem to be an unrelenting tide of victimhood washing through the programme. Or is it just me?

switch over

I just laughed last time I caught WH becuase it was about private vs. state education. Really relevant to most women in the UK How about a piece on how to actually get children to happily go to school, or upping literacy rates?

there is one on radio 5 now bigging up mumsnet as being the font of all knowledge re DV

I don't actually listen to the show, Olde Chestnut, I just hear what's being trailed on Today and decide not to... I might actually listen if it was going to be interesting!

'non-victimy' lovely

I agree, OP.

I enjoyed Newsnight with Emily Maitliss last night. Women - lots of actual women - talking skillfully about the Eurozone crisis. (Except for the MP, who was Dave-suckying.)

I never get to listen to Woman's Hour but I often hear it being trailed on the Today programme. A couple of weeks ago the topic was a Christmas cooking phone in - it felt a bit : ladies, you get to talk about the cooking later dears but for now us gents will carry on with the serious stuff. Sorry, bit off-topic and maybe I'm being over-sensitive.

There is an important consultation being discussed today. It concerns the inclusion of psychological abuse in with violent physical abuse.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8948620/Bullies-face-prosecution-in-domestic-violence-crackdown.html

For this reason it's topical. It's on BBC Five Live now, if anyone is interested.

I for one wish that programmes like this played EVERY day until perpetrators realise that to bully/demean/destroy others to gain control/power over them is NOT on.

SO yes, love, YABVU. Go stick on a CD or something, it'll all blow over soon enough and Domestic Abuse victims will go back indoors where they belong, eh?

YABU. I listen to WH regularly (probably 3-4 times a week) and feel they have a pretty balanced selection of material.

YABabitU I do get your point but it really isn't all like that (though I do find the "how to make the perfect pie" bits a tad odd).

Tis one of my DH's favourite programmes!

YANBU IMHO. I do love Woman's Hour actually and I do find most of the features pretty interesting anyway but I think you're right that there is an emphasis on "victimy" stories. They also constantly interview "typical women" who are always middle class suburban SAHMs with husbands in the city or super career women and business start-ups. They never have women who are, for example, cleaners or administrators unless it's a story feeling sorry for them.
My DP listens to Woman's Hour at work every day (he's a plasterer so it's not him just procrastinating) and he's always harping on about how all the features are either about men being generally crap, men being pathetic or men being dangerous. It's not all the features but I have to agree with his point.

Yes I was a bit hmm at the cooking segment. Have the mentioned the winners of the Nobel prize this week?

"I just laughed last time I caught WH becuase it was about private vs. state education. Really relevant to most women in the UK How about a piece on how to actually get children to happily go to school, or upping literacy rates?"

AKMD what a ridiculous thing to say! Are you implying that women oughtn't trouble themselves with the bigger issues, and concentrate on the domestic tasks instead? Shocking attitude.

Mixed- well does he expect WOMEN's hour to be all about how wonderful men are? There are the other 23 hours in the day, and every other radio station for that.

I do think it is quite middle class but that surely reflects its listeners?

Education and literacy rates ARE big issues aren't they?

Just because men don't categorise them as important doesn't mean they aren't.

Shengdan let me clarify. The piece featured several upper middle-class mothers agonising over whether to send their DC to private school or whether the state school was 'good enough' for them. That is not a choice that most parents in the UK have and I found it snobby and alienating. Bigger issues that might affect a larger proportion of parents might include policies and intiatives on raising attendance and literacy rates of children attending state schools.

Stuffed- Some men are wonderful! It's more an observation he's making than a serious ranting objection though.

I do think it is quite middle class but that surely reflects its listeners?

Maybe if they did items that appealed to a wider audience they might get a more diverse range of listeners. Being told how awful it was to have to consider sending little Tarquin to the local comp, which might not have understood his genius, might be entertaining but is hardly a key issue for the majority of women in this country.

Plus I do agree with AKMD. Often London-centric too (with features of little relevance to anyone in the rest of the country) but that's the whole of the media. Still, I'm nit picking. I enjoy Woman's Hour.

YABU. My friend really rates the show and told me I should try it, I'd enjoy it.

They were discussing bridesmaids dresses. It was inane drivel. I haven't listened to it since. Something victim-y would at least have addressed some important issues, and could have had some interesting points made.

I think it's pretty balanced. Then again, I don't listen to it live very often. I listen to it on catch up and then i can skip anything that doesn't interest me.

Agree it can have an upper middle class bias. But then I think that's why I find it a bit fascinating.

I wish you hadnt used victmy in your thread Its patronising to people who are abused , and it is a womens issue and perhaps a victmy person is listening and some of what is said rings true to her ,

I think they try to be fairly balanced - there's normally one 'big issue', one 'trivial' and one 'inspirational woman' story per episode IME. It's just a case of whether the trivial story interests you - I like cooking, but am bored to tears by shoes.

I listen to WH hour regularly. I live up north and I am relatively young mum and I do sometimes feel like it would enhance the programme to have a wider demographic of contributors. I also don't bother listening to the cooking sections.

That said I love WH. I listen to it on i-player of an evening while doing the tea and it is entertaining and informative without being preachy. It has opened my eyes to many issues which could be "victimy" for which I am grateful and it absolutely does celebrate the positive successes of women too.

Apologies for the word 'victim-y'. I don't mean to disregard the experiences of women who have survived domestic violence or sexual assault. I just don't think it represents the totality of women's experience and there's too much emphasis. Not that these issues shouldn't be covered at all, just maybe not every other day...

Surely even survivors of horrible crimes would like to hear about women being strong, succeeding, changing the world, achieving different things as they too are individual women with individual experiences and dreams. They are not just survivors of crime, defined by that experience.

Hope that clarifies.