50 Years of Becoming a Mother
This project examines women's transition to motherhood over the last 50 years in the UK
The project runs from February 2025 to September 2029 and is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
News
PhD Studentship with Bloomsbury Colleges
Apply for a PhD studentship with BAM50 PI Professor Charlotte Faircloth and Co-Supervisor Professor Lisa Baraitser. Professor Ann Oakley’s ground-breaking Becoming a Mother project reshaped thinking about motherhood in the late 20th century, established a multi-disciplinary area of academic research, and provoked a sea-change in practice and policy around maternity care. 50 years on from…
Join us for a Special Event at UCL with Ann Oakley
Book your place Thursday 16 July 2026, 5-7pm. UCL (Bentham House, Endsleigh Gardens). Step back into a landmark moment in the history of motherhood research with this special event revisiting Ann Oakley’s ground breaking ‘Becoming a Mother’ study, as part of UCL200. The evening opens with a screening of a 1978 archival broadcast from Thames…
Charlotte Faircloth and Rachel Arkell present keynote at Sociology Conference
In May 2026, Charlotte Faircloth and Rachel Arkell presented the keynote address at the British Sociological Association (BSA) Human Reproduction Study Group Annual Conference. Their paper, ’50 Years of Becoming a Mother: Reflections on motherhood research over half a century’ focused on what it means to conduct a ‘repeat’ study in changing social contexts and…
Project Leaders
Charlotte Faircloth
Professor of Family and Society at the UCL Social Research Institute and Project Leader of the BAM50 project.
Ann Oakley
Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, is one of the most influential sociologists of post-war Britain, and Co-Project Leader on BAM50.
Meg Wiggins
Senior Research Officer and Lecturer in Social Policy at the UCL Social Research Institute, and Co-Project Leader of BAM50.