They have collected information on education and employment, family and parenting, physical and mental health, and social attitudes, as well as applying cognitive tests at various ages.
As such, they enable research exploring how histories of health, wealth, education, family and employment are interwoven for individuals, vary between them and affect outcomes and achievements in later life.
[4] Comparisons between the different generations in the four cohorts enable academics to chart social change and start to untangle the reasons behind it.
[5] A study of working mothers and early child development was influential in making the argument for increased maternity leave.
[6] Another study on the impact of assets, such as savings and investments on future life chances, played a major part in the development of assets-based welfare policy, including the much-debated Child Trust Fund.