Girlhood and Later Life

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.

Go to the Girlhood and Later Life website.

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