Margaret Gentry

Margaret Gentry is the Margaret Bundy Scott Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Chair of the department at Hamilton College, where she has built a distinguished career combining scholarship, teaching, and administrative leadership.

Educational background:

• Ph.D. in Psychology, Washington University
• B.A., Duke University

Her research and teaching traverse the intersections of gender, aging, and social structures. She has extensively investigated widowhood across the lifespan, the dynamics of marriage and family life, violence against women, and the development of feminist pedagogies that empower students to engage critically with controversial topics.

Across her publications, Gentry has advanced both empirical and theoretical insights. Early work employed quantitative and qualitative methods to illuminate coping strategies among widows, while later contributions explore the social construction of sexual double standards and the institutional development of women’s studies programs. Her co-edited volume Gender and Thought: Psychological Perspectives remains a foundational text in feminist psychology.

Scientific awards and honors:

• Christian A. Johnson Teaching Enhancement Fellowship (2015–16)
• Emerson Award for student-faculty research (2005)
• Fulbright Award, University of Delhi, India (1992–93)
• Pentagon Honor Society Recognition Award, Hamilton College (1990)
• Margaret Bundy Scott Fellowship, Hamilton College (1986–1987)
• Washington University Graduate Teaching Fellowship (1980–1981)

At Hamilton, Gentry regularly teaches foundational and advanced courses including Introduction to Women’s Studies, Feminist Methodological Perspectives, Seminar in Nurturance and Violence, and Women and Aging. Her mentorship is recognized through awards that celebrate collaborative student-faculty research. While no individual students are named in the provided materials, her record indicates ongoing commitment to advising and scholarly collaboration.

She maintains an active presence on campus with office location Root Hall 318 and can be reached at mgentry@hamilton.edu.