Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Quantitative Studies of Age and Life Course

The need to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in quantitative studies of age and life course is discussed, highlighting two important barriers to DEI and their consequences when engaging in the study of aging and older adults. Although efforts at inclusive sampling and measurement are encouraged in studies with primary data collection, the fact is that many scholars in the field of gerontology use secondary data sources, from smaller investigator-generated studies to the large-scale multi-decade panel studies. Investigators utilizing these secondary data sources are often dependent upon the original investigators' choices of measurement and sample inclusion (and in some cases, funder requirements). Thus, even the best-intentioned researchers may still have to list insufficient sample sizes, crude measurement, or low statistical power among their study limitations. Those challenges acknowledged, the field itself has not always used all available tools that would advance goals of DEI when engaging in secondary data analysis.