Ukrainian Drone Pilot, Young women NEETs, Kimberlé Crenshaw

Ukrainian Drone Pilot, Young women NEETs, Kimberlé Crenshaw

Author: BBC Radio 4 May 28, 2026 Duration: 57:07

The role of women is growing in Ukraine’s war effort, from military recruitment to frontline drone warfare. Anita Rani talks to 'Morva,' a female combat drone pilot who, aged 25, is fighting Russian forces on the front line and Olesia Horiainova, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre - a think tank that works in military recruitment - about how women, and not just Ukrainian women, are getting involved in the fight to defend the country.

Alan Milburn, the former Labour health secretary says there's a risk of a "lost generation" in the UK, unless urgent action is taken to ensure more young people are either earning or learning. He's the author of a government-commissioned interim report titled Young People and Work that's released today. To look at what this means for women Anita talks to Kate Nightingale, the campaigns director at Young Women's Trust which champions for young women on low or no pay.

When the American Professor of Law, Kimberlé Crenshaw was five years old, at the time of the civil rights era in Ohio, USA, she was allowed to portray a witch but not a princess in a nursery play. Puzzled by her teacher’s behaviour, Kimberlé spoke up and never stopped, firmly establishing herself as a Backtalker, the name of her new memoir. Kimberlé joins Anita to talk about becoming a pioneering scholar and writer on civil rights and her instinct to question power and challenge what others accept as fair.

A new retrospective of the late Indian artist Mrinalini Mukherjee, a modernist sculptor, has opened at The Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire. Called Mrinalini Mukherjee: Unbound Forms - Women Sculptors of India and Bangladesh, it presents her art alongside that by other sculptors from India and Bangladesh, including her own mother, and explores the impact of South Asian women. Anita talks to the exhibition's curator Tarini Malik and the artist and close friend of Mrinalini’s, Bharti Kher. 

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt


For decades, Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4 has been a fixture in British life, creating a unique space where the experiences of women are centered and explored in full. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's a daily conversation that feels both urgent and timeless, tackling everything from front-page news and political shifts to intimate personal stories and cultural shifts. Each episode brings together a diverse range of voices-activists, artists, scientists, politicians, and everyday people-to dissect the issues that shape society. You'll hear nuanced debates on health, family, work, and identity, alongside insightful discussions on books, music, and ideas that are defining our moment. The podcast captures all of this, offering a thoughtful and often challenging listen that refuses to simplify the complexities of modern life. It’s where a headline is unpacked with depth, a personal struggle is given context, and inspiration is found in unexpected places. Tuning into this podcast means joining a long-running dialogue that consistently informs, provokes thought, and connects the personal to the political, all through the lens of women's lives and perspectives.
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