Woman's Hour - 25/08/2009

With Jane Garvey. What is gender testing? South African athlete Caster Semenya was ordered to submit a gender test by the International Association of Athletics Federations after winning the 800m women's race in the World Championships in the fastest time this year. It's been reported she was examined by 'a gynaecologist, an internal medicine expert, an expert on gender and a psychologist'. Jane discusses how gender is determined in athletics with BBC Sports Correspondent Gordon Farquhar, and the wider world with Dr Simona Giordano from Manchester University. Some women who want the guarantee of one-to-one care from a midwife call on the services of the 200 registered independent midwives practicing in the UK. In 2007, the Nursing and Medical Council Officer Christine Beasley issued a letter to all independent midwives requesting they obtain professional indemnity insurance within 18 months or cease to practice. But following lobbying by Independent Midwives UK, and the absence of insurance policies even available to them, the condition has been relaxed and the situation remains unresolved. A paper has now been published in the Clinical Risk journal highlighting the dangers of the situation and calling on the government for action. Jane is joined by Catherine Hopkins, Legal Director of Action Against Medical Accidents and author of the paper, and Brenda Vandacoy from Independent Midwives UK. Do you dread the visit to the shoe shop with your kids but continue to insist on properly fitted leather shoes? Or have you thrown in the towel and given in to cheap trainers and ballet pumps? Podiatrist Emma Supple and journalist Kathryn Flett discuss the rights and wrongs of buying shoes for children with Jane Garvey. Growing your own vegetables and keeping hens for eggs has become a fairly common life choice for people who care about the environment and want to be self-sustainable. But what's the next step? To clothe oneself is a life essential, second only to eating, and it's about time more of us did it ourselves, according to journalist John-Paul Flintoff. He brings his crochet hook to the studio and talks about his decision to make his own clothes, from jeans right down to his Y-fronts.