Recipients of PSC Small Grant Awards

I study the complex retirement process and its relation to social stratification. My research question is: what explains differences in later life earnings? This is a pressing topic of study given that America’s workforce is aging and economic inequality is a pervasive societal force. Furthermore, more and more people are exploring an array of later-life work options. With a growing number of older Americans delaying retirement or opting for less-conventional retirement pathways, discovering differences in retirement patterns and economic wellbeing is crucial to understanding how inequality unfolds over the entire life course. Through my research, I hope to uncover what drives differences in later life economic wellbeing and present policy implications that will better the lives of older workers.