Woman's Hour - 23/01/2009

Presented by Jenni Murray. The Belle Star Band, one of Scotland's top all-women dance bands, join Jenni to chat, play and to put some of the Woman's Hour team through a crash course in Ceilidh dancing. A severe national shortage of midwives means they are often overworked and stressed. Some feel that the emotional aspect of childbirth has become an add-on, with midwives unable to empathise with the women in their care. The impact of this emotional detachment is evident on the women, but how does it affect the midwives? Jenni Eclair said that 'everyone should have northern parents; if Michael Jackson or Britney Spears had been brought up with the same no-nonsense, stoical approach of her parents they wouldn't be in half the trouble they're in'. Is there any truth in this or is it an outdated sentimental view of the north? Adel Rootstein died in 1992, but the company she founded is still making mannequins. Judi Herman visits their workshops to watch sculptor Steve Wood making the clay model for their latest mannequin. Her guide through the mannequin-making process is Rootstein's Creative Director, Kevin Arpino. Including drama: All Passion Spent.