Women and Gender Studies

Ageing and care constitute two of the most pressing societal issues faced globally. They are issues which impact in particular ways on women’s lives. ‘Women, Ageing and Care: Emerging Perspectives’ invites experts with specialisms in care, ageing and narrative to discuss recent research in these fields as they pertain especially to women. Our keynote speakers have published widely in these areas, both for academic and more general audiences.

Professor Lynne Segal (Professor Emerita of Psychology and Gender Studies, Birkbeck, University of London) is author of Out of Time. The Pleasures and Perils of Ageing (2014), as well as Lean on Me: A Politics of Radical Care (2023), and a member of the Care Collective whose The Care Manifesto (2020) constitutes a ground-breaking statement on the politics of care in the contemporary world.

Dr Sarah Falcus (Independent Scholar) has published several works on how we imagine, narrativize and make sense of our ageing selves, from childhood to old age. She is co-editor of The Bloomsbury Handbook to Ageing in Contemporary Literature and Film (2023) and is currently involved in projects exploring the narrativization of death and global science-fictional imaginaries of age. The keynote speakers will present their latest work on care and narratives of ageing respectively.

These opening lectures – each followed by a Q&A session – will be followed by a future-facing round table. The purpose of the round table is to broaden our discussions and to explore interdisciplinary perspectives, mapping more widely the important emerging questions about women, ageing and care, both within the humanities and at the interface between the humanities and other disciplines.

The round table will take as its starting point a recently published book originating in the work of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing: Women’s Narratives of Ageing and Care (2025), edited by Professors Emily Jeremiah (Professor of Contemporary Literature and Gender Studies, RHUL) and Shirley Jordan (Professor of French Studies, Newcastle University). This is the first volume of a new series published with De Gruyter, entitled ‘Cultures of Ageing and Care’. Invited contributors to the round table – in addition to our keynotes who will also contribute – include Professor Susan Pickard (Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course, University of Liverpool), Nuala O’Sullivan (founder of Women Over Fifty Film Festival), Professor Karen Glaser (Professor of Gerontology, KCL), and Professor Siobhan McIlvanney (Professor of French and Francophone Women’s Writing, KCL).

The Supreme Court ruling that defined 'sex' as biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act will have implications for the women's sector, especially those that are currently trans-inclusive. Audrey Ludwig, Equality law specialist, presents on the judgment, how to interpret it, and answers questions.

The origins of women policing in Britain lie in the pre First World War suffrage movements. In 1914 they paused their campaigns and joined in supporting many public institutions. Their involvement in policing was pioneering. When the war ended the pre war differences between women's suffrage movements again influenced the direction and extent of women policing. The Second World War led to an expansion of women policing into geographic areas that hitherto had seen no women police.

Legislation covering women's employment in policing and then the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 also had a big influence on how and where women policed.

This talk, illustrated with individual stories, outlines this history.

Dr Clifford Williams is a historian and researcher. His work mainly covers police history and LGBT history. His most recent published works are 'A mostly unknowable history: lesbians in policing' in Women in Policing ed Tom Andrews (The History Press 2024) and 'A complete turnaround: police and gay men 1950-2010' in The Journal of Policing and Society (2025). Books include Courage to Be: Organised Gay Youth in England 1967-1990 (The Book Guild 2021). Clifford studied at SOAS, the University of Cambridge and the University of Bradford. After working for the Home Office he spent 25 years working in the police service. He has given a number of talks at LSE and is a regular visitor to the archives there.