Study title

This data collection consists of three interviews with elderly Christian women. Ethnographic data unavailable for archive as explained in request for waiver granted. 'Generation A' refers to older lay women who have attended mainstream churches most Sundays for the past 60-80 years and have largely been responsible for church and associated community activities. This research project asks: Why, when church attendance in general has declined and young people are less religious than their elders, has the specific generation of women born in the 1920s and 1930s - the female Christian Generation A - stayed? Research methods, ethically approved, include observing and participating in their activities, social networks, family and friendship groups and exploring their beliefs and values through conversation, interviews and life narratives. About 30 - 50 women will be closely involved in several different churches, and likely 100-150 people within their relevant social and family networks. The study will also help predict the religious, social and economic impact of the female Christian Generation A's impending absence. Beneficiaries include the churches dependent on Generation A for the most significant portion of their attendance, funding and labour; associated charities; members of the community benefiting from Generation A's significant role in pastoral care and community events.