Social Inequality and Early Development

What is the impact of social inequality on early childhood development? During this multidisciplinary event, two early-career researchers will present complementary perspectives on how social inequality influences developmental outcomes: dr. Yayouk Willems and dr. Maria van der Harst

The talks will be followed by informal drinks, offering an opportunity for discussion and exchange. This event is organised by the research community Early Childhood (EC) within the strategic theme Dynamics of Youth.

How does social inequality get under the skin?

"Epigenetic Pathways Across Development. Children growing up in low-income households are at increased risk for poorer physical and mental health across the life course. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, have been proposed as one biological pathway through which socioeconomic inequalities in childhood may become embedded and influence later-life health. 
In this talk, I will present findings from our studies examining associations between early socioeconomic inequality and DNA methylation. In addition, drawing on evidence from the Baby’s First Years project, a randomized controlled trial of unconditional monthly cash transfers in the United States, we examined whether reductions in poverty have causal effects on the epigenome. These findings are discussed in the broader context of early-life inequality and the emergence of health disparities across development." 
Speaker: dr. Yayouk Willems Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin.

Contrasting realities in European early childhood 

"First time parents facing intersecting inequalities. First time parents and their children are faced with starkly contrasting circumstances and risk factors, also in the European context. Approaching this reality from a social justice perspective, I seek to explore some of the ways in which our research can contribute to social change. I draw on earlier transdisciplinary research in Bulgaria among first time Roma parents and their infants and toddlers to illustrate the positions I take. This study evaluated a community support programme, the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) programme, which offers regular home visits by a trained nurse and aims to improve outcomes for mothers and children. What does it take to give all children a good start in life, to leave no one behind? And what are some of the dilemmas we encounter when doing research in the spirit of leaving no one behind?"
Speaker: dr. Maria van der Harst postdoc, Prince Claus Chair for Equity and Development, Utrecht University.