British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Professor Patricia Thane
Leverhulme Professor of Contemporary British History, Institute of Historical Research, University of London

Year elected: 2006

She is a leading historian of British social policy, both in general and in relation to such aspects as the history of maternity and gender and, most recently, old age. Her publications have been notable for the attention which she has paid to international comparisons, for example in the development of the welfare state. Throughout her work, she has been concerned not only with the historical evolution of her subject of study, but with its implications for current and future social policy.