Carly Simon; Manuals for men; Women diplomats

Available for over a year

A treat from our archive collection an interview with singer-songwriter Carly Simon from 1999. The first interview she'd given following her diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer Figures just released by the charity Contact a Family indicate that 72% of mothers with disabled children have cut back or given up work because of childcare problems. What can be done to help them? The Home Secretary was number two on last year's Woman's Hour Power List, placed behind the Queen. But in the last week she has been under pressure. Following a row with the Education Secretary over extremism in schools, and e faces questions from the Home Affairs Select Committee. What does the future look like for the most powerful woman in British politics - and could she still be a potential leader of her party? Until 1946 women couldn't apply for a job in the British Diplomatic Service. Until 1973 they had to resign if they got married. Who were the key women to join up after the war? How did they survive in what had been an exclusively masculine profession? Plus a new breed of book is becoming increasingly popular: advice manuals written by men for men. Their aim: to instruct the male of the species on things like how to be a good parent, the best husband and what to do when your partner gives birth. So what kind of advice do men need? Is it necessary to dress up helpful hints and tips with humour or is it better to make them look more like a car manual? Presented by Jane Garvey Producer Beverley Purcell.