Funerals are changing. For some families, the traditional service remains an important moment of witness and togetherness. For others, the cremation happens quietly, with a gathering held later — or in a different way entirely.

In this episode of The Pure Podcast, our content lead Sabine Groven speaks with Prof Kate Woodthorpe, sociologist and co-director of the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath, about how our attitudes towards death and funerals are evolving.

Drawing on more than two decades of research, Kate reflects on how conversations around death have shifted from something once seen as niche or uncomfortable to a subject people are increasingly willing to approach openly. They discuss the rise of direct cremation, the growing influence of digital memorials, and the reality that today’s families are more used to questioning tradition and making choices that reflect their own values.

In the interview, Kate mentions two research papers:

‘My Memories of the Time We Had Together Are More Important’: Direct Cremation and the Privatisation of UK Funerals: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00380385211036350 

Bodies and ceremonies: is the UK funeral industry still fit for purpose?: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13576275.2016.1205574?casa_token=4yR8RBtSo5QAAAAA%3AKZ9aWY-en4UinZbZfRsICzjMWBkYea5hXqrUX_emJH5uiwwxSJWvobGF-d3pPQweDtzGrCOQbEU