Radio 4: pain and prejudice

[WarriorN]

There's a programme today discussing period pain, prostaglandins, endometriosis etc.

The medical bias...

And yet manages not to mention the word woman. Because my god that's soooo icky.

I'm going to listen and will be counting the word woman.

How did your count go, @WarriorN

It’s so daft talking about women’s health without mentioning us once.

That stray apostrophe is painful as well.

The trailer put me off - saying it's an interesting listen "whether you menstruate or not". She could have said "whether you have ever menstruated or not". I'm post menopausal and I feel she has put me in a category that severs me from my woman's life cycle, like a Martha. I don't care how good the programme is, I'm not listening.

Actually she could have just said "women".

I’ve caught several of them and find it enjoyable and interesting. And, yes, the word woman is used. I’d recommend.

Yes I've since randomly heard two episodes and it's very woman centred. No idea why they haven't mentioned it in the adverts.

If fact, it's a v feminist series as you realised how many elements have had to be fought by feminists based on sex and biological functions.

Eg women weren't allowed to be 'in the wild' Canadian park rangers as it was felt bears would be more attracted to them due to menstruation. Some women challenged this and won and then it was also found the idea was absolute rubbish.

(I thought I'd posted to say that Id been too distracted by Tory antics to listen but it hadn't posted!)

They thought Barney bear was a vampire? FFS

I caught the first couple of minutes of an episode today. Lots and lots of use of the word women.

It was in the context of a self-identified witch, who was talking about the traditional spiritual power of menstruating women. It would be fair to say I don't share her beliefs, but it was very clear she was talking about old-fashioned women of the cunty (in this case the bleedingy cunty) kind.

The only time I've heard them use the phrase 'menstruating women' or 'menstruating people' (and I honestly can't remember which) has been in contexts where they're specifically talking about women who are bleeding at that particular moment.

It's interesting and informative and, from what I've heard, zero gender woo. The BBC have got it right on this one IMO.