Woman's Hour - 23/06/2009

With Jane Garvey. With reform on the agenda and the election of a new Commons Speaker at Westminster, the programme discusses just how radical the incumbent will have to be if they want to change the atmosphere of the House of Commons from what one candidate described as 'profoundly old-fashioned, male and frequently boorish' into something more modern and female friendly. A recent statement from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists outlined the problems that can arise when women over the age of 35 conceive, or try to conceive. The ensuing coverage has focused on challenging the reasons why women 'decide' to postpone childbearing. The programme discusses whether this approach ignores the complex social and economic factors that can remove such decisions from women's hands. Are you a consumer, or a 'turbo consumer'? If you are the latter, a new book on the subject of how we shop may make for some uncomfortable reading. Jane talks to its author, Neal Lawson, who argues that 'turbo consumers', alongside the bankers and politicians, need to assume their share of the blame for our current economic malaise. Jane and Neal are joined by fashion journalist Lucia Van Der Post. Dr Carolyn Porco is one of the world's leading planetary scientists and the woman responsible for bringing us awe-inspiring pictures of Saturn and its numerous moons. As she visits the UK, she talks to Jane about her role in NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn, one of the most ambitious and successful explorations of space to date.