Deborah Merrill

Professor, Sociology

Ms. Merrill received a B.A. from Bowdoin College in 1984 and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Brown University in 1988 and 1991, respectively. She was later a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, also at Brown University. Ms. Merrill has been at Clark since 1992. She is also affiliated with the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and Health, Science, and Society concentration.

Ms. Merrill’s primary interests and training in sociology lie within the fields of family, aging, medical sociology, and demography. Her research examines intergenerational relationships and the implications of marriage.

Ms. Merrill’s articles appear in Social Forces, Research on Aging, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Journal of Aging and Health and Ethnic Groups. She is the author of five books.

Degrees

  • Ph.D. in Sociology, Brown University, 1991
  • M.A. in Sociology, Brown University, 1988
  • B.A. in , Bowdoin College, 1984

Affiliated Department

Sociology

Scholarly and creative works

  • Book

    Identity and Retirement:  Maximizing Satisfaction and Well-Being in Retirement

    2025
    Deborah M. Merrill
  • Book

    Mastering Menopause: Women’s Voices on Taking Charge of the Change

    2020
    Westport, CT
    Deborah M. Merrill
  • Book

    When Your Gay or Lesbian Child Marries

    2016
    Lanham, MD
    Deborah M. Merrill
  • Book

    When Your Children Marry:  How Marriage Changes Relationships with Adult Children

    2011
    Lanham, MD
    Deborah M. Merrill
  • Book

    Mothers-in-Law and Daughters-in-Law:  Understanding the Relationship and What Makes Them Friends or Foe

    2007
    Westport, CT
    Deborah M. Merrill
  • Book

    Caring for Elderly Parents:  Juggling Work, Family, and Care Giving in Middle and Working Class Families

    1997
    Westport, CT
    Deborah M. Merrill