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 Television, featuring Oakley and two first-time mothers reflecting on their experiences of becoming a mother (watch a clip on our website). Decades later, they reunite – now in their 70s and 80s – for a live panel conversation, offering a unique opportunity to hear how motherhood has shaped their lives over the past 50 years.

Joined by Charlotte Faircloth, co-lead of the contemporary ‘50 Years of Becoming a Mother’ study, the discussion will explore what has changed (and what hasn’t) in parenting across generations. The event concludes with an audience Q&A.

This event will be particularly useful for grandmothers, mothers, daughters, midwives and other healthcare professionals, researchers and policy makers interested in women’s health and experiences of motherhood.