Becoming a Woman

Available for 29 days

Teenage girls all over the country talk candidly to Catherine Carr about what it is like to be a girl in 2026. They reflect on where they get their ideas about femininity from, and how these are often shaped by the boys. They explain how they feel that women are innately programmed to care for those around them as well as to care about what they think, leading them to modify their behaviour. They also talk extensively about their fears as girls and young women, and how that could affect the kinds of lives they might have. Catherine hears from adults making a difference in girls’ lives and finds out how girls struggle to find their niche in a world where ‘cool girl’ reigns. Thanks to: Cardinal Langley School Rochdale Dr Hannah Yelin, University of Oxford The Girl Guiding Association South Dartmoor Community College Ola Demkowicz, University of Manchester The Children’s Society North Birmingham Academy Dance United Yorkshire Dumfries & Galloway’s Young Women’s Network Producer: Catherine Carr Researcher: Jill Achineku Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4