Research projects

Transitions and Mobilities: Girls growing up in Britain 1954-76 and the implications for later-life experience and identity

This generation of women has immense historical and current significance. In their teens and early twenties these women were in the vanguard of postwar social change. Now they are part of the largest group of over 60s in British history with unprecedented influence on politics, public services and commerce. They are redefining ageing and making new demands on, and contributions to, society. This pioneering approach to later life is widely believed to be shaped partly by this generation’s experiences of growing up in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

This is the first detailed study of girls growing up in the 1950s to 1970s and the implications for later life. It explores:

• the lives of young women from different backgrounds in Britain 1954-76;
• the implications of the youth of these women for their experience and identities in later life.

Visit the Girlhood and Later Life website.

Funder

The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Principal investigator

Prof Kate Reed

Project team

• Prof Kate Reed (Principal Investigator)
• Prof Kate Woodthorpe (University of Bath, Co-Investigator)
• Dr Sophie Atherton (Research Associate)

Funding

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Project summary

This project explores the relationship between death administration and under-recognised forms of inequality. It examines how lesser recognised manifestations of inequality significantly impact people’s lives and experiences in the context of death, dying and bereavement. The project investigates the extent to which death administration processes create or reinforce experiences of inequality and outlines recommendations to improve current policy and practice.

Through an innovative facet methodology, the project includes:

• Policy Mapping: A detailed and accessible visual representation of current death administration requirements and processes in the UK.
• An open-ended survey with professionals working in death administration.
• An open-ended survey and interviews with bereaved individuals.

Research questions

• How do relation(ship) to the deceased, location of death, and cause of death affect experiences of UK death administration?
• How do these variations intersect to generate or exacerbate experiences of social inequality?
• To what extent do these experiences affect mental health, and how can findings improve wellbeing outcomes for bereaved individuals?

Principal investigator

Professor Debora Price

Funding

Nuffield Foundation

Project summary

The gender pension gap is recognised as a major source of inequality. Existing estimates show that women in the UK hold 35% less private pension savings than men, and 67% of pensioners in poverty are women. Despite regular policy debates, there is no consensus on how the gender pension gap should be defined or monitored, or how gendered differences in pension accumulation unfold over time.

The research team aims to:

• Map how the gender pension gap is conceptualised and measured in UK research, policy, and practice.
• Empirically assess the implications of these differences.
• Develop a framework for a more consistent, policy-relevant understanding.