Youth Aging and Life Course Newsletter Fall 2020 Contents Letter from the chair Member News 2021 Annual Meeting Planning 2020 Virtual Meeting Social Media Social Media Coordinator and Newsletter Editor Needed Gift a SSSP Membership Letter from the chair Dear Members of the Youth, Aging, and Life Course Division, I hope everyone is safe and well. Just before the pandemic disrupted all our lives, our previous chair of the Youth, Aging, and Life Course Division, Perri Leviss, had to step down unexpectedly and I was elected chair. As we all went inside and our emails tripled, it was an awkward and probably inappropriate time to send the newsletter. So, I would like to introduce myself now and thank Perri for her hard work and service. I am an assistant professor of sociology, the co-chair of the Gerontology minor program, and the treasurer of the faculty union at Central Connecticut State University. My work focuses on sexuality and aging. I have authored papers on older adults’ rights to sexuality in assisted living facilities as well as sexual harassment of workers in assisted living facilities. My current research looks at the intersection of sex and health from a feminist gerontological perspective. I have been involved with SSSP for at least a decade, beginning in graduate school. This is my first elected official position, and I look forward to serving. We are currently planning the upcoming meeting in Chicago. This means we need your help and input! If you have ideas for sessions that you would like to organize, please reach out. We also have lots of exciting co-sponsored session. And we are also planning some virtual sessions this year. Stay safe! Christina Barmon 2020 Youth Aging and Life Course Division Graduate Student Paper Award Recipient Congratulations to Jeong Hwang who was the 2020 Youth Aging and Life Course Division Graduate Student Paper Award Recipient. Jeong is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. Her research interests include intergenerational relationships, aging, gender inequality, and the work-family interface. She holds a BA from UC Berkeley and a MA from Yale University, both in Economics. The abstract of her paper is below. Abstract With gains in population health, grandparents are better equipped to play an active role in grandchild care, which is in higher demand due to the rise of working mothers and insufficient public provision of childcare assistance. On the other hand, working longer has become imperative for those at risk of post-retirement financial precarity. As a result, grandparents might potentially experience the same tension between paid and unpaid work that younger workers are susceptible to. I examine changes in older workers’ engagement in paid employment following their transitions to grandparenthood. Because women are traditionally considered caretakers, I expect the risk of quitting paid work will increase more for women compared to men when they become grandparents. For the same reason, I expect that the risk of exit will increase more for older workers of both genders when daughters, compared to sons, become parents, as parental support often addresses adult children’s needs. Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), I find that becoming a grandparent is associated with a higher exit risk only for female workers and for both sons’ and daughters’ babies. Male workers’ average exit risk remains unchanged, but this null average result masks the increase in maternal grandfather’s exit risk. These findings suggest that the effect of becoming a maternal grandfather more closely resembles that of becoming a grandmother than that of a paternal grandfather and that gendered expectations surrounding caregiving persist across generations. Member News Recent Publications: Cabin, W. (2020). In the Realm of Haunting Ghosts: Denying the Existence of Substance Abuse in Medicare Home Health. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 17(2), 226-236. 2021 Annual Meeting: Revolutionary Sociology: Truth, Healing, Reparations and Restructuring The 2021 annual meeting is scheduled to take place in Chicago August 6-8. You can read Cory Dolgon's statement on the theme here: https://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/839/locationSectionId/0/2021_Annual_Meeting The 2020 Virtual Meeting: Bringing the Hope Back In: Sociological Imagination and Dreaming Transformation If you were not able to attend the 2020 virtual meeting, it was recorded. The presidential address, business meeting, awards ceremony, and plenary session can all be viewed here: https://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/783/2020_Annual_Meeting/ Social Media Unfortunately, we have lost some continuity with our social media. We had to create a new Facebook page and are still in the process of trying to recover the twitter account. Please like our new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SSSPYalc Social Media Coordinator and Newsletter Editor We are looking for a social media coordinator and newsletter editor. This is a great job for a graduate student. If you or a student you know would be interested, please email the division chair, Christina Barmon at cbarmon@ccsu.edu Gift a SSSP Membership While we may not have met in-person as a Society this year, the work and dedication of our members to issues of social justice is more important than ever. Please consider gifting a membership to a graduate student or a non-academic activist – their membership ensures them opportunities for active participation in the Society and its divisions. A membership for graduate students is only $33/year, and comes with two free division memberships. First time professional membership is only $50 and each member will receive a free division membership. Current members interested in gifting a membership should contact sssp@utk.edu for assistance. Thank you!