Anna Whitehouse on the hidden women in our family trees

This International Women’s Day, new data reveals a quiet generational regret. Seven in ten Brits say they wish they had asked the women in their family more about their lives, while a quarter admit they have never asked their mother or grandmother about their past at all.

But the research from Ancestry also points to a deeper realisation. For many families, it is only when they begin exploring historical records that they discover how unevenly women’s lives were documented. Standard records such as early census returns, death certificates and registers often listed women without occupations or simply in relation to husbands and fathers, leaving large parts of their lives undocumented.

The result is that many family histories are incomplete by default. Generations of women who worked, raised families and shaped the lives around them can appear only faintly in official paperwork, leaving gaps that only become visible when families begin tracing their own timelines.

To mark International Women’s Day, Ancestry is offering free access to key historical records from 8 to 18 March, encouraging people to explore their own family history and uncover the fuller stories of the women who shaped their lives.

Aston spoke to author & campaigner Anna Whitehouse a.k.a Mother Pukka.