SLLS Webinar Series 2026: Session 5

About the event

Thursday 14th May 2026 
17:00 - 18:30 UK, BST (12:00 – 13:30 EDT)
Online via Zoom

TO BOOK: Scroll to the bottom of this page to reserve your place.

Places, Times, and the Structure of Lives: Advancing Comparative Life Course Research

Leping Wang (Vanderbilt University), Zhiyong Lin (University of Texas at San Antonio), and Kent Jason Cheng (Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston)

About the Session
Thanks to strategic and long-term investments around the globe, scholars today have a wealth of data across cohorts and societies to undertake systematic comparative research on the role of the social environment in shaping human development and ageing. Yet despite the promise of comparative life course research, it carries methodological challenges (e.g., harmonized designs and measures; integration of macrosocial context; statistical tools for complex comparisons). In this webinar we are delighted to host three speakers who have recently published articles in the Society’s journal, Longitudinal and Life Course Studies (LLCS), as part of a Special Issue on best practices in comparative life course research. We will hear about the research led by three early career scholars and discuss the wider implications for carrying out successful and impactful comparative research using a life course perspective that can advance our understanding of growing up and growing older within and across societies.

TALK 1: The Impact of Marital Histories on Late-life Loneliness and Social Participation: a US–China Comparison
Presenter: Leping Wang, PhD, Post-doctoral scholar, Department of Sociology, Vanderbilt University. 

Presenter Bio: Dr. Wang is a medical sociologist and family demographer. She studies aging and the life course, medical sociology, sociology of gender, family demography, and social networks. Her primary line of research investigates how marriage as an institution exacerbates gender inequality in health, well-being and wealth over the life course. More info.

Talk Summary: Using data from the U.S. and China, we investigate the relationship between life-course marital histories and late-life loneliness and social participation among older adults aged 65+. We show off-time marital transition is associated with worse socio-emotional well-being than on-time transition, represented by the higher likelihood of loneliness among prematurely-widowed Chinese. On-time transition, featured by mid-life divorce in the U.S., is otherwise linked to less loneliness. Gender differences exist: premature widowhood is linked to higher participation in leisure activities than friend visits for U.S. women. Lifelong singlehood is associated with lower participation in leisure activities than friend visits for U.S. men.

TALK 2: Social Isolation and Cognitive Functioning Trajectories from Midlife to Later Life in Four High- and Middle-Income Countries
Presenter: Zhiyong Lin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Demography, University of Texas at San Antonio

Presenter Bio: Dr. Lin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research focuses on social isolation, caregiving, and cognitive aging using longitudinal and cross-national data. His work examines how social and structural factors shape health disparities in later life. More info.

Talk Summary: This study examines how social isolation shapes cognitive functioning trajectories from midlife to later life across the United States, England, China, and Mexico. Using harmonized longitudinal data, we analyze both overall isolation and its dimensions, including partnership, child and friend contact, and social participation. Results show that socially isolated individuals have lower cognitive functioning in most contexts, with stronger effects in China and Mexico. The importance of specific social ties varies across countries and life stages. Findings highlight the need to consider both timing and sociocultural context when addressing social isolation as a modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline.

TALK 3: Intergenerational Financial Support and Mental Health of Men and Women: A Comparative Analysis Across Social Welfare Policy Contexts in Europe
Presenter: Kent Jason Cheng, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Gerontology, Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston

Presenter Bio: Dr. Cheng is a population health scientist, social gerontologist, and family demographer who broadly studies the social determinants of health across the life course. His primary research focus is on the health implications of family support and social welfare policies among older adults and their families. More info.

Talk Summary: As Europe’s population ages, understanding how families and the welfare state shape older adults’ mental health becomes increasingly important. Using data from 20 European countries, this study examines the association between financial transfers from descendants and depressive symptoms across contexts with varying levels of pension generosity. Receiving transfers is associated with higher depressive symptoms, suggesting that support receipt is often need-driven. This association is stronger among men, while more generous welfare contexts amplify this relationship among women. Findings support contingency exchange and crowding-in perspectives, highlighting the complementary roles of family and state support in contexts of vulnerability.

Session Chair: Tony Robertson, Executive Editor of Longitudinal and Life Course Studies journal and Senior Research Fellow, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow.

Discussants: Jessica Kelley, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Case Western Reserve University, and Dale Dannefer, President of SLLS and Selah Chamberlain Professor of Sociology, Case Western Reserve University.