RUSPINI ELISABETTA

Elisabetta Ruspini is full Professor of Sociology at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy. She holds a PhD in Sociology and Social Research from the University of Trento.

Since the start of her academic life she has devoted a considerable amount of time to studying the relationship between gender and social change; the social construction of gender identities as a dynamic process; the causes of gender inequality; the interplay between gender, family formation and parenting roles; the relationship between gender and the generational turnover (particularly Millennials and Gen Zers); generational discontinuities; how to engender social research; the future of gender research. 

She has extensive expertise in feminist, women's, and gender studies, generational research, as well as in gender-sensitive and longitudinal research. She has functioned as a gender expert and adviser for diverse research stakeholders in Italy and Europe (European Community), and has been actively involved in developing gender-sensitive approaches in Universities and Associations. She has published a relevant number of books (authored books and edited books/journal issues), articles and contributed papers to several national and international conferences/seminars/workshops in these fields.

Since 2023 she serves on the Doctorate committee for the National Ph.D. Programme in Gender Studies (DIN Program in Gender Studies): https://www.uniba.it/it/ricerca/dipartimenti/dirium/postlaurea/dottorati/dottorato-in-gender-studies

Since 2023: Editor (with Jennie Bristow, Canterbury Christ Church University), book series
“Generations, Transitions and Social Change”, BUP-Bristol University Press:
https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/generations-transitions-and-social-change

September 2021-August 2024: Coordinator of RN33 “Women’s and Gender Studies”, ESA-European Sociological Association: https://www.europeansociology.org/research-networks/rn33-womens-and-gender-studies

September 2019-August 2021: Co-Coordinator of RN33 “Women’s and Gender Studies”, ESA-European Sociological Association.

She is the National Coordinator of the Scientific Framework Convention ‘Gender and Religion’, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milano-Bicocca. The Framework Convention is a confederation of around 30 Universities across Italy and 15 Research Centres/Associations located all over the country which banded together to study the nexus between gender, religion and social change. 

October 2018-May 2024: Director of the “Centro Interdipartimentale per gli Studi di Genere-ABCD-Interdepartmental Center for Gender Studies” (14 Departments), University of Milano-Bicocca: http://www.abcd.unimib.it/

She is one of the Founders of the AIS Research Committee ‘Studi di Genere’ (Gender Studies), that she has been coordinating between 2012-2018. The Research Commitee ‘Studi di Genere’ is part of the AIS (Associazione Italiana di Sociologia-Italian Sociological Association): https://www.ais-sociologia.it/sezioni/sg/studi-genere/

Research Interests: Social Change and Social Processes; Gender as a Social Structure; Gender Inequalities; VaW-GBV Prevention; Gender and Sustainability; Gender and Generations; Feminism and Women's Rights Movements; Generations of Feminism; Generations and Social Change; Values and Beliefs across Generations; Gender and Religions; Gender, Generations and Tourism; Design of Research Studies; Longitudinal Research; Gender-sensitive Research; Generations Research.