Year started: 2019

Uncertain Futures is a participatory research project centered around a collaborative artwork at Manchester Art Gallery, which aims to highlight intersectional issues in work for women over 50 focusing on gender, age, race, disability, migration and socio-economic backgrounds. Developed by an Advisory Group formed of women over 50 years of age linked to Manchester’s diverse communities in collaboration with artist Suzanne Lacy, Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester City Council Work and Skills, Uncertain Futures aims to co-research conditions around access to work, issues within work and issues leaving work for women over 50 with the University of Manchester: School of Social Sciences, Department of Law (Dr. Elaine Dewhurst) and Manchester Metropolitan University: Department of Social Care and Social Work (Dr. Sarah Campbell). An additional work package has been added to highlight the impact of what the group has termed the “Covid+ effect” on discrimination and inequality: how existing forms of discrimination and inequality have been exacerbated by Covid-19. Uncertain Futures will open in 2021 with an installation in the Gallery hosting interviews with 100 women from all walks of life, alongside workshops, talks, and media presentations that explore survival and equity issues. The research aims to understand the interconnection between women's experiences of work with their age, race, gender, and other relevant aspects of their identities. The research involves an analysis of the interviews alongside the development of a website which will host policy and research briefings on these challenging topics.

Objectives

The objectives of the initiative are three-fold: (a) to give a voice to women over 50 years of age in Manchester to speak about their experiences with work and to highlight the inequalities and challenges which they face; (b) to provide evidence through narrative collection and analysis of the impact of certain inequalities on women over 50 years in Manchester in a collaborative research setting and (c) to co-create policy briefings which can be used to influence policy makers and create change for women over 50 years in Manchester.

Scope

The initiative is centered around women over 50 years in Manchester, UK but has a much wider scope as the inequalities and challenges they face resonate with older women globally. The aim is to influence policy makers so the group will target local and national government and representative organisations to achieve this.