Families and Money: exploring gender inequality in elite families

In this event, Professor Annette Lareau will talk about her current study, Families and Money, where she uses qualitative methods to explore the complex social processes that shape the dynamics of high-net-worth families. She will particularly focus on the issue of gender in her discussion and argue that, even in elite families, women continue to have socially inferior positions to men in terms of wealth and power.

The event will examine a host of related issues including gender dynamics (and tensions) surrounding wealth and philanthropic giving in families, particularly when the wealth and economic expertise of the wife exceeds that of her husband. Professor Lareau highlights the "stickiness" of gender in shaping these family dynamics, thereby complicating and stigmatising the formidable economic advantages these women hold. Following her presentation, Sibylle Gollac and Dr Katharina Hecht will join the discussion.