Breaking Point: Pandemic Parenting and the Cost of Living Crisis at The Whitworth

The Whitworth invites you to the first of a series of events aimed at ‘Re-imagining Motherhood Now’ organised in partnership with Dr. J. Michelle Coghlan (The University of Manchester) and funded by a Social Responsibility award from The University of Manchester, School of Arts, Languages, and Cultures. This opening public lecture brings campaigner and writer Sarah Ronan to the Whitworth to reflect on the ways the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have impacted the lived experience of motherhood now, her pioneering work to end maternity discrimination and reform early years education in the UK, and where we go from here.

Biography
Sarah Ronan is a campaigner, writer and mother of one. She previously led Pregnant Then Screwed’s high-profile campaigns on pregnant workers’ rights, flexible working, and childcare, and was at the forefront of its award-winning pandemic response – all while navigating single parenthood during Covid. Sarah now works for the feminist think tank, the Women’s Budget Group, where she leads a new coalition of organisations that are working to reform the early education and childcare sector. She also sits on the board of Parental Pay Equality, the campaign for equal parental leave for self-employed parents.