Oral history interviews on the changing roles of women. Help!

[TheWanderingUterus]

My local oral history group is setting up a subsection to look at how life had changed for women over time. I have been given the group to set up and chair.

My first ever oral history interview is next week with the most brilliant woman, mid 60s, outspoken, intelligent, articulate, who has given me carte blanche to talk about anything at all, PND, feminism, childbirth, menstruation, fertility etc. I cannot wait, she was brilliant to talk to just arranging it on the phone. I have been given some prompts but they are standard questionnaire, there is nothing tailored for these extra questions.

What would you ask? I am struggling to juggle this with my own studies and my brain is feeling slightly fried, so I could do with some inspiration. I don't want to miss anything vital.

Any advice in general? I don't want to mess this up.

I have no experience of oral history interviews, but it sounds as though you've struck lucky with your first subject. Why not start with the standard questionnaire and then ask her to talk more about what she sees as being most significant in her life? Or talk about what the two of you envy in each other's lives? I doubt that you'll be struggling with such an interesting woman!

Thank you, I don't think I'll have any problems talking to her, but II also want to make the most of the opportunity! It's my first ever interview and there is no training, other than "this is the equipment".

I keep having a few things popping into my head e.g. availability of childcare, stigma of illegitimacy, awareness of the feminist movement etc but I would feel better with a nice big list of questions. But I have a big fear that I am missing something important especially as this is stuff that is not covered in the standard interview.

So long as you have a tape recorder, I'd just give her a very open question and let her talk - tell me about your experience as a mother in the 1960s etc and just let her talk. If she has daugthers, you could then ask her to compare her experiences with theirs.

My mother is mid-sixties and left home at 18/19 (maybe even before) and had three children very quickly with my dad. She didn't necessarily escape from home into some kind of liberated woman's dream, rather she became a parent tied down by 3 young kids. She managed to get into University as a mature student many years later and had a very good career, later divorcing my dad.

Maybe you could ask her to talk about her life as a parent, wife etc and if she thinks that she lived in a particularly liberated or feminist age in the late 60s/early 70s? Because I think for many that time was seen as one of great opportunity for women but the reality was quite different.

My mum actually said to me 'perhaps you are being a bit too PC' when I was talking about the fact that I felt my DH should be doing more to help with the childcare and housework (we both work) and I was because I always thought of her as a feminist. Never expected her to tell me to make the best of things and just do it all myself because it was easier that way! ... so maybe it would be interesting to ask her why, after years of fighting for 'equal rights' do women still do the bulk of childcare/housework/wife-work?

If you could go back and give your 18 year old self some advice what would it be?
If you could a bunch of 18 year old women from today some advice would it be the same or do you think they face different challenges?
Listen closely to what she says and base your other questions on that. Anything you're not clear on ask her to explain. Remember that if you don't know what she's referring to future generations won't either. If she ever says "of course" or "naturally" or anything that implies something was normal or inevitable ask her to explain why that was the norm. Details are interesting bbut it's more interesting IMO to get to the societal conditions that created those details.
Be aware that she may talk about upsetting incidents and that it is up to her whether she wants to explore them or not. Before the interview assure her that she can stop at any time but not to feel obliged to stop if she cries or gets upset. The aim isn't to get a clean sanitised story. It's ok for it to be meaay and jumblef

Sorry! It's ok for it to be messy and jumbled because that's how life is.
It might also be interesting to ask in what ways her life has differed from how she thought it would turn out as a teenager.
On a practical note practice using the equipment and be absolutely sure it's recording properly throughout the interview. Nothing more heartbreaking than losing a whole interview because of faulty equipment!

Sounds like a great opportunity.

I know I would want to ask about PIV, the so called sexual revolution and contraception and abortion within a changing historical context (and by that I mean contraception as a means of providing men with unlimited PIV).

I would also be interested in what a woman of that generation thinks of the backlash particularly with regard to differences between the women's lib movement of second wave feminism compared to pernicious "choice feminism" that is sold to women today.

What does she think women have actually achieved compared to the dreams and desires of earlier generations?

Thank you everyone, I now have a page of additional questions and a separate sheet of guidance notes for myself. Lots of things I hadn't thought to ask that I am now looking forward to discussing.

Slightly worried about potential for crying, hadn't considered that, but I feel much more prepared than I was.