Women, Ageing and Care: Emerging Perspectives

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 symposium will conclude with a reception to which all are welcome. 

Event Outline:

14:00-14:15:   Introduction and welcome (Shirley Jordan)
14:15-15:00:   Keynote 1 (Lynne Segal) + Q&A (Chair, Shirley Jordan)
15:00-15:45:   Keynote 2 (Sarah Falcus) + Q&A (Chair, Siobhan McIlvanney)

15:45-16:00:   Break

16:00-17:00:   Roundtable (Chair: Emily Jeremiah)
17.00-18.00:   Reception

All are welcome to attend this event, which will be held in person only. Please register in advance by clicking Book Now at the top of the page.