Spring 2020 SSF Events

 


Golden Years? Social Inequalities in Later Life

Deborah CarrProfessor and Chair of Sociology, Boston University

Thanks to advances in technology, medicine, Social Security, and Medicare, old age for many Americans is characterized by comfortable retirement, good health, and fulfilling relationships. But there are also millions of people over 65 who struggle with poverty, chronic illness, unsafe housing, social isolation, and mistreatment by their caretakers. Carr will discuss her new book, Golden Years?, in which she examines the complex ways that socioeconomic status, race, and gender shape nearly every aspect of older adults’ lives. By focusing on an often-invisible group of vulnerable elders, Carr will reveal that disadvantages accumulate across the life course and profoundly undermine the well-being of millions of older adults.

Sponsored by: Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health; Doctoral Program in Gerontology; Erickson School for Aging Studies.


Measuring Electoral Success:  Gender and Intersectional Dynamics in Political Campaigns

View lecture online

Kelly Dittmar, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University-Camden, and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), Eagleton Institute of Politics

The electoral gains for women in the 2018 election were notable, but that numeric progress was not felt by all women nor did it yield gender parity in American politics. Beyond the numbers, measuring success in U.S. elections means considering the ways in which gender and intersectional dynamics that have created obstacles to women candidates are disrupted.

Sponsored by: Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies, History, Political Science, Women’s Center