New & Noteworthy

TSP Board member Shania Kuo writes up research by Patrick Krueger and colleagues’ in a new Discovery. This piece highlights that while working parents lose sleep (especially those with young children) their physical activity remains steady or even increases as they intentionally incorporate exercise into family time. The study emphasizes the current resilience of parents and the need for better parental leave policies/support services to help parents balance work and caregiving.

Our latest Clippings of Sociology in the news by Mallory Harrington features Liz McKenna in Forbes discussing Barack Obama joining Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail, drawing parallels between Harris’s current momentum and Obama’s 2008 grassroots efforts.Matthew Desmond spoke on WYPR about the roots of poverty in America and the role affluent individuals play in its continuation.  The Wall Street Journal reviewed Born to Rule: The Making and Remaking of the British Elite by  Aaron Reeves and Sam Freidman, which explores the lasting power of the British elite. Rima Majed, in an interview with Democracy Now, discussed Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and the region’s continued resistance movements. Meanwhile, the Hindustan Times highlighted Neetu Batra’s insights on active aging in India, where many seniors are redefining retirement by embracing new hobbies and careers.

From the Archives

For a deep dive into the realities of voter suppression and the myths of voter fraud, check out Neeraj Rajasekar’s piece, The Fantasy of Voter Fraud & The Reality of Voter Suppression. This article breaks down research that demonstrates how voter fraud is nearly nonexistent, while voter suppression, particularly through felony disenfranchisement and strict ID laws, skews election outcomes by disproportionately affecting minority groups.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, have made claims that the U.S. government can control the weather and engineered Hurricane Milton. Check out his Sociological Images article by Evan Stewart from 2017, discussing important sociological findings about how low institutional trust fuels belief in conspiracy theories with, both liberals and conservatives being susceptible, often driven by feelings of powerlessness rather than pure partisanship.

This week, the CDC released data from the first nationally representative survey on transgender students. It found that 3.3 percent of high school students identify as transgender, with an additional 2.2 percent questioning their gender identity. Among other findings, the survey reveals that transgender and gender-questioning teens face significantly higher levels of bullying, sadness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared to their peers. To learn more about transgender teens’ experiences, check out the Council on Contemporary Families’ interview with Tey Meadow, sociologist and author of Trans Kids: Being Gendered in the 21st Century.

Backstage with TSP

Behind the scenes at TSP we are constantly brainstorming and piloting new ideas and creative ways to share sociology with the world. Currently, we have some “StoryMaps” and new video ideas that you may see soon! Stay tuned.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts:

• making merit by Elena G. van Steev covers a recent study by Sam Friedman and colleagues on how elites in the UK define merit as innate talent, while Danish elites emphasize hard work, yet both perspectives justify inequality in their respective societies.
• a broader look at the housing crisis by Parker Muzzerall summarizes a study by Carl Gershenson and Matthew Desmond highlights how the rental housing crisis is affecting rural America, revealing that racial and class disparities in evictions, similar to those in urban areas, are also prevalent in rural regions.

Council on Contemporary Families:

• Alicia Walker talks with Nicole Bedera’s new book On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors, which exposes how universities prioritize protecting perpetrators over supporting survivors of sexual violence. Bedera discusses how Title IX processes often fail survivors, retraumatizing them while neglecting their educational needs, and offers insights on how independent third parties could reclaim the mission of Title IX to ensure justice and safety on campuses.

First Publics:

• Engaging Elections: Keeping the US elections in context covers more insights from the recent webinar Engaging Elections: The Politics of Teaching as Public Sociology. Panelists discussed using case studies and local contexts to make complex political theories relatable, with Cedric de Leon offering examples of how campus symbols can engage students in understanding macro-level theories through their lived experiences. Watch it here.