Hayley James

Hayley James is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Personal Financial Wellbeing, Aston Business School, part of Aston University. Her work focuses on sociological perspectives of finance, ageing, and lifecourse intersections. She holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, where her thesis examined UK pension reforms' impact on individual financial decisions.

Research Interests: Financial wellbeing, gender and finance, economic sociology, and the role of policy in shaping personal financial practices. She explores everyday financial practices through qualitative methodologies, particularly how motherhood, ageing, and institutional policies influence financial decision-making.

Collaborations include cross-European studies on pension savings design and rapid evidence reviews linking physical health to financial wellbeing. Her work bridges social sciences with policy analysis, emphasizing practical applications of academic findings.

Her publications span peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Sociological Review, Work, Aging and Retirement) and public-facing blogs. Current projects investigate consumer duty frameworks to mitigate debt-related stress and rethinking definitions of financially responsible behavior.