Webchat with Jane Garvey (from Woman's Hour), MONDAY 6 OCTOBER at 1.30pm

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We're pleased to say that broadcasting stalwart Jane Garvey will be joining us for a webchat on Monday 6 October at 1.30pm.

Jane has worked in radio for around 30 years. Hers was the first voice heard on Radio 5 when it was launched in 1994, and she forged a highly successful partnership with Peter Allen on the Drive show. For seven years now she has been presenting Woman's Hour on Radio 4.

Please join us on Monday to talk all things radio (and probably lots of other things too) with Jane - and, as ever, if you can't make it on the day, please post up your questions in advance here.

[EDIT] UPDATE! Jane will also be talking about our 'Chore wars' survey, which will be covered on Woman's Hour today at 10am - so do please let us know your thoughts on who does what in households where there are two adults plus a child/children.

Thanks
MNHQ

@Middleagedmotheroftwo

Are you any relation to Guy Garvey? It's not a very common name.

And how do you get away with calling a programme "Woman's Hour" in this day and age? (not a complaint, just intrigued!)

No, but I wish I was! It's actually more common than you'd think. I'm Liverpool-Irish and I imagine Guy is Manchester-Irish.

The name Woman's Hour is a great brand and we're not going to change it any time soon. It's worth saying there is also a Men's Hour on 5 Live. Incidentally, Woman's Hour celebrates its 68th birthday tomorrow. Our first programme, in 1946, was presented by a man because BBC bosses didn't think it was a suitable job for a woman. We have made progress.

Ok can't resist! I agreed with j Gershuny until he said women risk financial hardship if they stop paid work...... True in that your career will stall if you stop for long enough and you may become less skilled but if you are fully aware of finances for the household or better still in charge of them, jointly in the mortgage etc then it's not all doom and gloom, my dh earns it and we (mainly I :-)) jointly spend it on whatever the family or individual needs/wants. What about the fact that my part time work would not have covered our childcare costs anyway and he can earn in two days what I earned part time in a month? I wanted to stay at home in light of this and I was able to in comfort, our children have benefited , our weekends are free and his career is on track. Am I lucky to have a dh that supports my choice now and my desire to return to work once all children at school? I don't think so,.... We communicated about this before we chose our roles and made sure each was on the same page.... It can be done. I know exactly what the financial set up would be should the worst happen.....call me a romantic but I fully believe it never will. That was a serious interview I think. No need to sweat the small things if the big ones are sorted though, still no chore wars for me :-)

Hi Jane - thanks for coming on; I'm another one who's been a WH devotee for years beyond counting. My favourite item ever (back in about 2000) was one in which a reporter (forget who) attempted, on air, to ... get to grips with a moon cup. She was inside a toilet cubicle, and the moon cup proponent was outside, shouting advice. Brilliant

My question, though, is about women, the BBC and age. What's your view on the paucity of older women across the organisation - and particularly in presenting roles, where older men are seen as bringing gravitas and authority? Why is it still the case that women over 50 are so few and far between on the network - is there more that can be done? If so, what?

@bluerim

...and (sorry) what do you think about the media attention paid to Evan Davis's interviewing style when David Cameron was on Newsnight last week? The 'catching more flies with honey' approach. Seemed to me that some radio presenters (lots of women but also people like Simon Mayo) had been quietly using this technique very effectively for a long time.

I think Simon Mayo is a really good interviewer, as is Evan Davis, and I think it's definitely true that you certainly don't have to be aggressive to be a good interviewer. Sometimes interviewees just cannot cope with an interviewer who is utterly polite but incredibly incisive at the same time. But its not armed combat, and it shouldn't be about anybody's ego; you're trying to get information for the listener or viewer.

Just to say I adore Jane Garvey.

Happy 68th birthday to WH for tomorrow.

I did the chore wars survey. I've printed it out and I'm about to laminate the result.

@3PackTissues

I know it's a bit humourless and perhaps missing the point, but the thing about surveys like this is that they really miss out single parent households, or separated parents who do shared care. I do 100% of all household tasks as well as working full-time . But then to be fair to my children's dad, when has has them he also does 100% of everything and I get to lie down on the floor and not move... Will the Chore Wars stuff be addressing single parents as well as nuclear families? And is there any sense of whether all-women parenting couples organise things in a completely different way to man-woman couples?

As a single parent myself I am only too aware of this and am glad you've raised it. I understand that many people do not live in so-called nuclear families, and I think a lot of divorced parents have probably had to learn a lot about what their ex actually did! I'd certainly welcome input from same-sex couples about the division of household labour in their homes.

And oh yes to J Gershuny saying what he said. Especially if you are UNMARRIED it is mad to give up your job.

@bluerim

I'm always cheered when there are two female voices presenting the Today programme (it happened this morning - whoop!). Do you sometimes despair of the policies on other shows - mentioning no names of course - as regards promoting women presenters?

Radio 4 has a very strong line-up of female presenters and always has had, and 5 Live even more so, certainly in the past. There's still work to be done on local radio, and commercial radio, with some honourable exceptions, is still pretty dismal for female presenters.

@LoveAndSqualor

Hi Jane - thanks for coming on; I'm another one who's been a WH devotee for years beyond counting. My favourite item ever (back in about 2000) was one in which a reporter (forget who) attempted, on air, to ... get to grips with a moon cup. She was inside a toilet cubicle, and the moon cup proponent was outside, shouting advice. Brilliant

My question, though, is about women, the BBC and age. What's your view on the paucity of older women across the organisation - and particularly in presenting roles, where older men are seen as bringing gravitas and authority? Why is it still the case that women over 50 are so few and far between on the network - is there more that can be done? If so, what?

I think it's up to women to keep going on about this. We can't accept a situation where David Dimbleby is venerable and wise, and a woman of the same age is put out to grass. Radio is a slightly kinder environment, at least I slightly hope it is. I'm about to find out!

@Crumblemum

I want to chip in on the discussions about sex - and how MN was criticised for having such discussions. I actually love Woman's Hour, but do find it terribly well-behaved at times. Does it really always need the 'head girl' persona?

I have been amazed by the variety of topics I have been allowed to discuss live on national radio in the last seven years. Name anywhere else in the mainstream media where we could discuss anal sex as we did the week before last.

Time's up! Thanks very much for the interest and do keep listening. The only way Woman's Hour can improve is for people to tell us what they like and don't like, so I really appreciate your feedback. I can't tell you what this would have been like if I'd been typing myself - I'd still be on question one...

Thank you for your interesting answers.

(BTW you'd be very welcome over on the Archers thread...)

Great answer Jane -thank you.

Fab webchat MN!

Luffly webchat! Thanks MNHQ

Fab webchat - I've always loved Jane Garvey and now she has answered my question I am very happy .

Thanks Jane, great webchat which has given me plenty to think about just like an episode of WH.

Really interesting webchat - love Jane G, even though I associate her voice with anxiety since I started listening to Woman's Hour podcasts while giving blood!

DH worked on WH a million years ago and claims he had to wear a badge stating "I'm a Woman's Hour man". I am not sure I believe him.