Madonna Harrington Meyer is a University Professor at Syracuse University, where she is a professor of sociology in the Maxwell School of Public Affairs and Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence. She also is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Policy Research, a Faculty Affiliate at the Aging Studies Institute, and a Faculty Research Affiliate at the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion. During her time at Syracuse, she has served as both Chair of the Sociology Department and Director of the Syracuse University Gerontology Center.
Broadly speaking, Prof. Harrington Meyer’s research focuses on the social structures that impact aging processes and outcomes over the life course. Her recent work concentrates on issues of care work, grandparenting, disability, and food insecurity. She has published over 50 scholarly articles in leading sociology and interdisciplinary journals, including American Sociological Review, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Gender & Society, and Social Problems. In addition to these journal publications, she has edited/co-edited three scholarly volumes on the topics of care work, gerontology, and grandparenting. She also has authored/co-authored three monographs, including two that were awarded the Gerontological Society of America’s prestigious Kalish Book Award: Grandmothers at Work: Juggling Families and Jobs (NYU Press, 2014) and Market Friendly or Family Friendly? The State and Gender Inequality in Old Age (w/coauthor Dr. Pamela Herd; Russell Sage, 2007).
In her most recent co-authored book, Grandparenting Children with Disabilities (Springer, 2020), she and Dr. Ynesse Abdul-Malak analyze interviews conducted with 50 respondents who care for grandchildren with disabilities, highlighting the impact of care work on the grandparents’ financial, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. They conclude that nearly all of the grandparents interviewed need more social, medical, and financial support than they are receiving and would benefit profoundly from a social welfare state that provides a greater safety net for caretakers. She currently is working on a new book project, Hunger SNAPs: Food Insecurity among Older Adults, with co-author Dr. Colleen Heflin.
In addition to her book awards, Prof. Harrington Meyer has received numerous other accolades and recognitions for her work. Of particular note, she was elected a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America in 2004 and named as an expert advisor to the Women’s Retirement Security Working Group convened by the US Senate Special Committee on Aging in 2012. In 2016, she was named winner of the American Sociological Association (ASA) Section on Aging and the Life Course (SALC) Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award. Her research also has been reported by influential media outlets, including the New York Times, NPR, US News and World Report, the Houston Chronicle, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, and the LA Times.
When asked about the influence that attending FSU had on her career, Prof. Harrington Meyer focused on her experience working with and being mentored by faculty who were invested in her success. These experiences stayed with her and helped to shape the way that she interacts with her own students today. She shared with us the following final thoughts: “One of the highlights of my career has been working with wonderful graduate students. I have made it a priority to publish with graduate students because it provides wonderful experience and training and I enjoy it so very much. As I look back across my career, there is no question that getting the opportunity to work closely with faculty at FSU, particularly Jill Quadagno, made all the difference.”