Same-Sex Couples Devote More Attention to End-of-Life Plans than Heterosexual Couples

Posted on June 19, 2018 in Brief Reports

A Research Brief Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center Research Brief Series Mieke Beth Thomeer, Rachel Donnelly, Corinne Reczek, and Debra Umberson Introduction End-of-life planning enhances the quality of later-life caregiving, health, and death. Ideally, informal planning—conversation with loved ones about future care and end-of-life preferences—and formal planning—wills, healthcare […]

Topics of Expertise: Aging / Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage / Gender & Sexuality / LGBTQ Partnering & Families

Black Deaths Matter: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Racial Disparities in Relationship Loss and Health

Posted on May 16, 2018 in Brief Reports

Experts: Debra Umberson

A Research Brief Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center Research Brief Series Debra Umberson Introduction Black Americans are more likely than white Americans to experience the premature death of mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and other relatives and friends. These disparities begin in childhood and are repeated throughout life in […]

Topics of Expertise: African American Families / Aging / Health & Illness / Loss & Resiliency within Families / Trauma and Disaster

For a Limited Time Only: Josh Coleman is ‘On the Air’ with ‘Knowledge@Wharton’

Posted on March 29, 2016 in CCF News, Members In The News

Experts: Joshua Coleman

This week, CCF Board Member Josh Coleman sat down with “Knowledge@Wharton” to discuss challenges with multi-generational housing. The interview is available online until March 30 on SiriusXM’s On Demand feature, channel 111. If you don’t have a SiriusXM subscription, they do offer a 30-day free trial subscription at: https://www.siriusxm.com/freetrial[siriusxm.com].

Topics of Expertise: Aging

Gray Divorce: A Growing Risk Regardless of Class or Education

Posted on October 8, 2014 in Online Symposia, Publications

In contrast to the seeming stabilization of divorce rates for the general population over the past two decades, the gray divorce rate has doubled: Married individuals aged 50 and older, including the college-educated, are twice as likely to experience a divorce today as they were in 1990. For married individuals aged 65 and older, the risk of divorce has more than doubled since 1990. Researchers explain why.

Topics of Expertise: Aging / Couples Conflict, Separation & Divorce

Aging Alone in America

Posted on May 1, 2013 in Brief Reports

Experts: Elena Portacolone, Ph.D. / Eric Klinenberg, Ph.D.

In this report to the Council on Contemporary Families for Older Americans Month, New York University researchers Eric Klinenberg, Stacy Torres, and Elena Portocolone report on the unprecedented movement of the elderly toward solo living.

Topics of Expertise: Aging

Older Americans Month: Valuing the Contributions of America’s Elders

Posted on May 11, 2011 in Fact Sheets

When Senior Citizens Month was established in May 1963 (the name was changed to “Older Americans Month” in 1980), there were only 17 million living Americans who had reached their 65th birthday. Today there are more than 38 million Americans 65 and older. This year the official theme for Older Americans Month is “Connecting to the Community.” Much has been written about the “burden” of supporting an aging population, but we hear far less about the many critical contributions older people make to their families and their communities. A good deal of this work is unpaid, but its value is no less significant.

Topics of Expertise: Aging

Older Americans Month: A Council on Contemporary Families Fact Sheet

Posted on May 10, 2010 in Fact Sheets

Back in 1963, when 17 million Americans aged 65 and older represented just 9 percent of the population, President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month. Today there are almost 40 million Americans aged 65 and older, a number that is projected to increase to 88.5 million by 2050. By then they will make up 20 percent of the total population, and nearly 1 in 4 will be over 85. (By comparison, in 1900 only 4 percent of women and 3 percent of men lived to be 90.) We now know that they hate being called “senior citizens.” (President Carter changed the name to Older Americans Month in 1980.) Their numbers are swelling. What else do we know about older Americans?

Topics of Expertise: Aging

The Long-Range Impact of the Recession on Families

Posted on April 16, 2010 in Brief Reports

Experts: Stephanie Coontz

By Valerie Adrian Research Intern Council on Contemporary Families Stephanie Coontz, M.A. Co-Chair and Director of Research and Public Education Council on Contemporary Families The economy is now out of free fall, but the impact of recent economic losses on families will continue for many years to come. An overview of the economic, unemployment […]

Topics of Expertise: Aging / Economic Inequality / Transition - Adolescents to Adulthood

EXPERTS

Ashton Applewhite

Author, Speaker, Activist; ThisChairRocks

Anne Barrett

Professor of Sociology at Florida State University

Linda Burton, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology Department of Sociology, Duke University

Deborah Carr

Professor of Sociology, Boston University

Joshua Coleman

Psychologist

Marilyn Coleman

Curators' Professor Emerita of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Missouri

Charlene Depner

Deputy Director California Judicial Council Center for Families, Children & Courts

Frank Furstenberg

Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania

Jeffrey Hayes

Program Director, Institute for Women's Policy Research

Eric Klinenberg, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology; Director of Graduate Studies, New York University

Tanya Koropeckyj-Cox

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, University of Florida

Ricci Levy

President and CEO, Woodhull Freedom Foundation

Mignon Moore

Associate Professor & Chair of Sociology, Barnard College

Laurie Orlov

Founder, Aging in Place Technology Watch

Elena Portacolone, Ph.D.

Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of California San Fransisco & Visiting Scholar at Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley

Michele Pridmore-Brown

Research Scholar, Center for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, UC Berkeley; Senior Editor, Los Angeles Review of Books

Corinne Reczek

Professor of Sociology at Ohio State University

David Trimble

Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University Medical School; Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, Boston Medical Center; American Family Therapy Academy; Boston Center for Culturally Affirming Practices

Lynn Turner

Professor, Marquette University

Melissa Walker

Converse College

Sarah Wright

Founder & President, Social Work in Progress

Robert Wright

CEO, Wright Foundation