Health and Population

Scholars of the Health and Population cluster study the sociological causes and consequences of dynamics and differences in aging, migration, fertility, mortality, health, and well-being. We have distinctive expertise in cross-national comparisons, social capital, health inequalities, and cultural analysis.

The Department co-sponsors the Social Demography Seminar.

Affiliated Graduate Students

News related to Health & Population

Jason Beckfield signs books at launch of Political Sociology and the People's Health, held October 23, 2018 at the Harvard University Center for Population and Development Studies

Faculty Spotlight: Launching Political Sociology and the People's Health

December 4, 2018
A social epidemiologist looks at health inequalities in terms of the upstream factors that produced them. A political sociologist sees these same inequalities as products of institutions that unequally allocate power and social goods. Sociology Chair Jason Beckfield's new book asks an important question: can the two talk to one another? ... Read more about Faculty Spotlight: Launching Political Sociology and the People's Health
Professor Mary Brinton

Gender Inequality, Employment, and Family in Postindustrial Societies

May 1, 2018

Mary Brinton has been studying gender inequality for a long time, motivated in particular by the high level of gender inequality in Japan and other East Asian societies. Her current project considers gender inequality in light of what many social demographers consider a crisis of the family as an institution—namely, the emergence of historically low birth rates throughout the postindustrial world.... Read more about Gender Inequality, Employment, and Family in Postindustrial Societies

In foreground, a sign posted on a lawn reads "Do not play in the dirt or around the mulch - EPA." In background is a child's pink three-wheeled riding toy.

Truly Toxic

November 1, 2017

Environmental regulation is undergoing radical changes, posing a direct threat to America’s health and potentially deepening inequality.  Since the spring of 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed sharp cuts in the testing of children for lead exposure, and the Interior Department directed the National Academy of Sciences to cease studying the health effects of a common mining technique that deposits toxic minerals in ground waters.  Meanwhile, recent investigative reports have documented that the appointment of top regulators with conflicting business interests at the EPA continues apace. ... Read more about Truly Toxic