I am a BBC journalist focusing on women, social affairs, and inequality. Formerly a commissioning editor at the Guardian, where I ran its Public Servant: Letter to the Public series. Founding member of The Second Source, a group of women journalists working to end sexual harassment in the media. Twitter: @kirstiejbrewer
Portfolio
Latest
Asylum whistleblower: Decisions are a 'lottery'
The Home Office has denied taking "arbitrary" decisions on asylum cases in order to meet deportation targets, but an asylum caseworker says staff have to work so fast that the...
'Why my daughter wants a hysterectomy at 15'
When we told the story of Lucie, who had a hysterectomy at 28 because her periods made her feel suicidal , readers got in touch with similar experiences. For many, it took years...
'I was suicidal - the NHS didn't know what to do with me'
It was the ninth time in the space of 10 days that Sherry Denness had tried to kill herself. "It felt like checkmate - there were no open doors or other ways for my life to...
'A lottery': asylum system is unjust, say Home Office whistleblowers
The British asylum process is a lottery and many asylum interviews are rushed, biased and resolved by "cut and paste" decisions by overworked Home Office staff, whistleblowers...
Why I took my wife's last name
These days many women keep their own name when they marry, and couples are increasingly opting for a double-barrelled or merged name. But men who take their wife's surname are...
'We'd be walking on eggshells': Christmas offers no respite from domestic abuse
Many of us see the festive period as a chance to spend quality time with our favourite people. But for thousands of people, it will only offer more of what they endure all year...
Why are privatised probation services using public libraries to see clients?
It's a Thursday afternoon and Weston-super-Mare's town hall is buzzing with activity. Through the main entrance is the public library, where Dean (not his real name) is waiting....
The UK city where sex work is banned, but hasn't stopped
Hull is the UK's only city to have banned sex workers from its red light district, effectively making prostitution illegal. The council says the policy is working, but Millie,...
Over a century ago, Dickens said it was cruel, wrong and "tampered with the brain". So why is...
You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days. But don't worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, si mply by entering your email address...
How Scotland is putting a stop to period poverty
When faced with a choice between buying food for their children or tampons for themselves, the four mothers I am talking to in an Aberdeen food bank all say they will deprive...
How the tech industry wrote women out of history
Sadie the typist and Susie her computer: sophisticated but cheap. That's how the duo are billed when they appear in 1960s adverts to promote a now defunct UK computer company....
We Need To Talk About Period Poverty In The UK
Every month, hundreds of UK schoolgirls like Marie resort to measures like these because they can't afford to buy the safe, hygienic sanitary pads and tampons sold in the shops....
After the crime: why employers should give ex-offenders a working chance
When Michaela was 19 she got into a fight in a nightclub with a stranger and was handed a four-year prison sentence for GBH. "It was a 30-second mistake I'll always regret,"...
Why young people are renting rooms in a Helsinki care home | Kirstie Brewer
It's a sunny Thursday afternoon and residents of the Rudolf Seniors Home - Helsinki's largest state care home - are eating raspberry swiss roll and having a spirited guitar...
BehindBras: lingerie business dreamed up in jail aims to help women prisoners
On Barbara Burton's first night in HMP Durham, she was given three sets of prison-issue underwear. It was plucked hastily from a shelf and didn't fit properly. "From that point...
Dying in prison: Two women's stories - BBC News
The number of women who died in prison in England and Wales reached a record high of 22 last year, and more than half of them took their own lives, Prisons and Probation...
New York's deputy mayor: After the US election we just have to get up and work harder every day
With New York City still reeling from Donald Trump's surprise victory, deputy mayor Alicia Glen is trying to take small solace in the fact that the president-elect is, at least,...
The Brits helping refugees help Britain
Britain's referendum decision to leave the EU was seen in some quarters as a damning verdict on immigration. But while some see incomers as a threat and a drain, others...
Untangling where your hair extensions really come from - BBC News
From wigs to weaves and hair extensions, the market for human hair is enormous. But few know where these lustrous locks come from and the journey they take across the globe. Go...