Julia Jennings

Associate Professor, Anthropology Link

Faculty Affiliate, Center for Aging and Policy Studies

CAPS Biography:

My past research focuses on family and household ecology, intergenerational processes, and responses to economic and environmental stress with a wide temporal and geographic span: from the 19th century to the present day and from Europe and North America to the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. With this background, I have recently extended my research into a new direction: the effects of kin support on mortality among older adults. This research speaks to both of CAPS signature themes – health and wellbeing and family and intergenerational supports – and it has been supported by an NIA K01 award. With ongoing research in small, often historical, rural populations, my research on aging fits within the cross-cutting themes of place and specific populations. My comparative research highlights spatial, cultural, and historical variation in the role of kin support for aging adults, especially during times of economic or social strain. This work demonstrates that in the past, socioeconomically disadvantaged families were limited in their ability to support aging adults during times of poor economic conditions.