What does punk mean to older punk women? And how are such understandings interwoven with experiences of ageing and gender? The complexity in defining punk has been noted and it has been suggested that this complexity in part results from punk’s dislike of being labelled/categorised. Drawing upon interviews with 22 self-identifying older punk women, this article considers how they conceived punk as ‘a state of mind’, exploring the four shared punk values seen to comprise this: DIY, subversion, political consciousness and community. An unpacking of these values in terms of what they might ‘look like’ and how they are put into action by the women highlights the considerable roles ageing and gender play.

No abstract

No abstract

How do older women negotiate employment and the workplace alongside being and ‘doing’ punk? This article takes this question as its focus, exploring three key areas that a sample of older punk women raised in regard to relationships between punk identification and work – dress, work/life balance and punk values. Drawing upon qualitative data with 22 older punk women, this article will argue the need to understand continued punk affiliation ‘post-youth’ not only through a lens that views ageing as social construct but also through a lens that sees experiences as gendered. Highlighted here are some of the various ways older punk women negotiate being/doing punk alongside their employment, acknowledging ways this can be constrained (or not) by gendered social ageing and demonstrating an adaptability of punk values that can help in accommodating adulthood.

No abstract