489 - Thematic Session. Extended and Intergenerational Relations in Hard Times

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Abstract

A central issue in 20th- and early 21st-century sociology has been the ways in which economic hardship affected individuals and families. Much of this scholarship has focused on the experiences of those living in poverty; however, the recent recession in the United States has sparked interest in the effects of this event for families across the socioeconomic spectrum. This thematic session will focus on the ways in which characteristics of families, including the structure of the extended kin network, family members’ economic resources, marital status, gender, race, and position in the life course, shaped the ways in which they were affected by and responded to the recent economic downturn. Understanding these processes is particularly important because families typically serve as the first line of defense for individuals facing hard times.

Sub Unit

• Thematic Sessions

Session Organizers

• J. Jill Suitor, Purdue University

• Megan Gilligan, Iowa State University

Presiders

• J. Jill Suitor, Purdue University

• Megan Gilligan, Iowa State University

Panelists

• Merril Silverstein, Syracuse University

• Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, Washington State University

• Natalia Sarkisian, Boston College

• Rand D. Conger, University of California-Davis