The Women's Podcast

• Why do some women still take their husband’s last name?

  The tradition of women taking their husband’s surname stems from a time when marriage effectively erased a woman’s legal identity and she would become her husband’s property. While this is no longer the case and society has thankfully moved on, the practice of women changing their last name upon marriage still persists today. But why?In a recent feature for The Irish Times, journalist Áine Kenny poses the question: “If changing one’s name isn’t a big deal and isn’t sexist, why don’t we see more men taking their wife’s surname?”To explore this further, Kenny joins Róisín Ingle on the latest episode of the podcast, alongside parenting columnist Jen Hogan. Together, they discuss why they did and didn’t keep their own names after marriage. But first Ingle and Kathy Sheridan are in the studio together to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the long awaited excavation of the Tuam babies site, which is to begin on Monday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  44:54
• Greta Thunberg sets sail for Gaza / Mary Ann Kenny on loss, psychosis and healing

  It was a bright afternoon in April 2015 when Mary Ann Kenny, a university lecturer, received a call that changed her life in an instant. Her husband John, with whom she had two young sons, had collapsed while out jogging and died at the age of 60. Struggling to cope with the sudden loss and the loneliness that engulfed her life in the aftermath, Kenny's grief soon turned to depression, which later progressed into psychotic delusions.In her new memoir, The Episode, Kenny details her descent into psychosis, her hospitalisation, and her journey back to health and happiness. In this episode, she talks to Róisín Ingle about the impact of her husband’s death, the trauma of her psychiatric treatment, and how she has made sense of her mental health crisis.But first, Irish Times reporter Ella Sloane joins us to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including Greta Thunberg’s aid mission to Gaza and what new research has revealed about the happiness levels of Irish teenagers.To enter our live book club event, go to Irishtimes.com/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:03:43
• The Macron 'wife shove' / Talking periods with Dr Hazel Wallace

  What do you really know about the menstrual cycle? Can you tell your follicular from your luteal phase? Can masturbation ease period pains and why do so many women get the dreaded ‘period poo’? To answer all these questions and more we’re joined this week by Dr Hazel Wallace, medical doctor, nutritionist, and author of Not Just A Period, a groundbreaking new book that seeks to understand the entire menstrual cycle, not just the few days each month we bleed. In this episode, Dr Wallace tells Róisín Ingle why periods are still so poorly understood, the benefits of tracking each phase of your cycle and when to seek advice from your doctor. She also talks about her own experience with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), her decision to freeze her eggs and why she left the NHS to focus on nutrition and female health. But first, Bernice Harrison is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week including the viral shove of French President Emmanuel Macron by his wife Brigette. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:00:15
• Kit de Waal on identity and belonging / Starving children of Gaza

  This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Kit de Waal novelist, memoirist, and fierce advocate for working-class voices in literature. In conversation with Roisin Ingle, de Waal discusses her powerful new novel The Best of Everything, set in 1970s and 1980s England, which follows the interwoven lives of a single mother, her son, and their neighbours as they navigate grief, love, and survival.Best known for her acclaimed debut My Name is Leon, de Waal also shares insights from her 2022 memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes, where she recounts her unconventional upbringing as the daughter of a Caribbean father and an Irish Jehovah’s Witness mother. From the fear of a prophesied Armageddon in 1975 to the complexities of faith, identity, and family, the writer reflects on the experiences that shaped her and how they now shape her fiction.This is a moving, sharp, and sometimes darkly funny conversation about resilience, storytelling, and what it means to find your place in the world. Also on today's episode, Niamh Towey joins us to discuss the stories of the week including Gaza, where the UN has said the lives of thousands of children are at risk due to malnutrition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:04:59
• Jacqueline Connolly: ‘I didn’t know what coercive control was until my family were killed’

  In 2016, Clodagh Hawe and her three sons, Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were murdered in their Co Cavan home, by their husband and father Alan Hawe, who took his own life shortly after. It was and still is Ireland’s largest murder-suicide and the brutal killings sent shockwaves throughout the country. In her book, Deadly Silence, Clodagh’s younger sister Jacqueline Connolly, gives her account of the circumstances leading up to the mass murder and how her brother-in-law, Hawe, coercively controlled and manipulated her unsuspecting sister. In this episode, Connolly talks to Róisín Ingle about the person Clodagh was, the relationship the pair had growing up and how their bond changed when Hawe entered their lives. She also talks about her family’s painful search for answers in the aftermath of the killings and the critical failures in the initial Garda investigation. But first, Irish Times Opinion editor Jennifer O’Connell is here to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the conviction for sexual assault of actor Gérard Depardieu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:14:22

More Society & Culture podcasts

Trending Society & Culture podcasts

About The Women's Podcast

The Women's Podcast: Podcasts in Family